UAF MBB Team in National Stats
FAIRBANKS, AK-Senior guard Brad Oleson (North Pole, AK/North Pole HS/Peninsula College) and the rest of the University of Alaska Fairbanks' men's basketball team are receiving some national recognition.
Oleson recently moved into seventh place on the all-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference scoring list. He has 1,401 points after scoring 28 points against Ohio Valley College last Friday night in the second game of the Glacier Classic. He ranks first in the GNAC among players who have played just three seasons. All six players ahead of Oleson played four years in the GNAC.
Meanwhile, the Nanooks are ranked seventh nationally in scoring margin (plus 21.3 points per game) and 20th in defense (61.9 points) after the first weekly release of the NCAA Division II statistics. UAD is 16th in free throw percentage at 75.9 per cent, 19th in field goal percentage defense at 38.6 per cent, and 38th in scoring, averaging 83.2 points per game.
Olesen ranks third nationally in scoring, averaging 22.8 points per game; 15th in steals with 3.1 steals per game, and is 42nd in field goal percentage, making 60.1 per cent of his shots. Teammate Andrew Smith a senior forward from Anchorage, AK (Bartlett HS), ranks 23rd in blocked shots, averaging two per contest.
"I think the rankings, particularly our team rankings in team defense and field goal percentage defense, are really good indicators of our success," said UAF Head Coach Frank Ostanik. "The individual rankings are great, but I'm sure our players would be more excited about our team's success than individual honors."
The Nanooks will take an 8-3 record into this week's games at Seattle and Northwest Nazarene.
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