According to the recently released NCAA Division II final basketball statistics, juniors Brad Oleson and Adrienne Taalak finished the 2003-04 basketball season among the nation's best. Oleson and Taalak each ranked among the country's best in four different categories.
Oleson, a 6-4 sharpshooter from North Pole, AK, who was named the Player of the Year in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, finished 11th nationally in scoring with an average of 22.9 points per game and 20th in field goal percentage, connecting on a blistering 58.5 percent of his shots from the field. He was also 16th in 3-point field goal percentage at 47.0 percent and 35th nationally in steals per game with an average of 2.2.
The Nanooks had a record-breaking season last year, finishing with a 23-7 overall record and reaching the championship game of the NCAA Division II West Regional. The 2003-04 season marked the first time any Nanook team had ever won 23 games or won at least one game in the national tournament. UAF head coach Al Sokaitis was named GNAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Taalak, who helped the UAF women's basketball team to a 10-16 overall record, was the top scorer in the GNAC and finished 21st nationally with an average of 19.7 points per game. She was fifth in 3-pointers per game at 3.1 and 11th in the country in 3-point field goal percentage at 42.6 percent. Taalak also finished 30th in free throw percentage, hitting 84.3 percent of her charity tosses.
As a team, the Nanooks finished 43rd nationally in the men's division with an average of 80 points per game and 29th in scoring margin with an average of 9.7 points per contest. The UAF women's team finished 21st nationally in 3-pointers per game with an average of 6.7.
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