University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

Nov. 14, 2006

Alaska (4-1) Vs. Weber State (1-0) Pre-Game Notes

Round 1 of the 2006 BP Top of the World Classic

NOVEMBER 16th, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. AST in the Carlson Center

Probable Alaska Starters

Probable Weber State Starters

Alaska All-Time Vs. Weber State: 1-2

Last Time They Met: The Nanooks took a 77-65 decision and the BP Top of the World Classic title on Nov. 24, 2002. Brad Oleson led five Alaska players in double figures with 17 points.

Alaska Injury Report: None

Scouting Weber State
The Wildcats boast 10 new faces and an entire new coaching staff, as the only returners that played a significant role last year were senior center David Patten (10.8 pts. and 5.1 reb.) and Dan Henry (5.7 pts. and 3.7 reb.). Weber State opened the season with an 83-57 win over Colorado Christian at the Dee Events Center Nov. 10. Guard Juan Pablo Silveira finished the night with a game-high 24 points on 9 of 13 shooting from the field (6 of 9 from three-point range). All 11 Wildcats scored on the night as head coach Randy Rahe spread the minutes around.

Coaching the Wildcats
Randy Rahe begins his first season as Weber State's head basketball coach in 2006. Rahe comes to Weber State from the University of Utah where he was an assistant coach on Ray Giacoletti's staff. Rahe is the ninth Wildcat head coach since 1962-63, when WSU became a four-year institution. Rahe joins the Wildcats following two years as an assistant coach at the University of Utah. Prior to that, he spent a total of 13 years as an assistant with Stew Morrill, including six years at Utah State University.

ALASKA THIS SEASON

Chargers Zapped
The Nanooks dispatched of visiting Lancaster Bible College by scores of 91-58 and 125-61 on Nov. 2 and 3 to open the season. Alaska's 125 points in game two nearly broke the record of 129 versus Sheldon Jackson College of Sitka, AK set during the 1990-91 season. The final margin of 64 points also flirted with the biggest gap ever. The two biggest wins in school history were a 70- and 68-point blowout series over Puget Sound Christian in 2004 at the Patty on Nov. 4 (111-41) and Nov. 6 (105-37) 2004.

Road Tested
Orlando's Disney World is a travel destination for kids but the Nanooks recent trip there turned them into road warriors with three games in three days. Alaska finished the 2006 Disney's DII Tip-Off Classic in second place with a 2-1 record. They recorded wins over Pace (N.Y.) University and North Georgia College & State University before falling to No. 6 ranked Southern Indiana University in the title game.

ABOUT THE NANOOK PROGRAM

About Coach Frank Ostanik
Alaska head coach Frank Ostanik begins his third year in charge of the Nanook basketball program in 2006. Ostanik, the tenth head coach in the history of the University of Alaska Fairbanks, has been a part of the Nanook basketball family since 1990 as a player, assistant coach and head coach. In two seasons at the helm, coach Ostanik has compiled a record of 38-19 and currently holds the highest all-time winning percentage of any Alaska basketball coach.

In his debut season, Ostanik led the Nanooks to a 21-9 record, a GNAC title and an NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen appearance, just the second in school history. Last season, the Nanooks posted a 17-10 record including a fourth-place finish in the BP Top of The World Classic.

Prior to taking over as head coach, Ostanik worked eight years as a Nanook assistant coach and helped build the Alaska squad that won the 2002 BP Top of the World title and make the 2003 NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen. From 1990-1992, Ostanik played for the Nanooks as a 6-4 forward known for his hustle and determination. He then joined the Nanook coaching staff as a graduate assistant and earned a bachelor's degree in education from UAF in 1993. Ostanik and wife, Toni, have been married 12 years and have an 11-year-old son named Win.

Nanooks On Top of the World
Despite being the only DII school playing amongst DI opponents, Alaska has never been a pushover in their own tournament. The Nanooks own 10 wins over the Classic's 10-year history including triumphs over the University of North Carolina Wilmington (1996), Jackson State (2000), the University of Texas-San Antonio (2003), Montana State (2005) and Kennesaw State (2005). In 1998, an underrated Alaska squad placed third in the tourney with wins over Washington State and New Mexico State. The pinnacle of Nanook success came in 2002 when they became the first DII school to win a DI tournament. Alaska took out Wisconsin-Green Bay, Nebraska and Weber State on the way to the title.

2006 NANOOK NOTES

Bark and Bite
Junior Kenny Barker (San Diego, CA) ended last season on a tear and has picked up where he left off. The 6-3 guard, Alaska's leading returning scorer and rebounder, is off to a nice start with 14.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals a game in a team-high 31.6 minutes a game.

Rockett Fuel
Senior Jushay Rockett, a Texas State transfer, is making a name for himself in Fairbanks after just five games in blue and gold. The 6-5 wing is putting up 26 points and 8.8 rebounds in 29.8 minutes a game. The versatile Rockett, who is the Nanooks primary interior defender, leads the team with 2.2 three-pointers a game on 39 percent from the arc. The Long Beach, CA native also picked up Co-Most Outstanding Player honors in helping Alaska to the title game.

Barnes Burner
Point guard Barry Barnes, Jr. (Long Beach, CA) has kept the statisticians busy so far. The jet-quick 5-9 junior has compiled an impressive stat line of 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.8 steals a game. In the second game of the Lancaster series, Barnes had six steals, one shy of the Nanook record held by Brad Oleson and head coach Frank Ostanik, before sitting the final 10 minutes. Barnes also joined Rockett on the Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament team.

California Love
Nearly half the Alaska roster hails from the Golden State. Senior Jushay Rockett, junior Barry Barnes, Jr. and freshman Kevin Atkins all rep Long Beach, while junior Kenny Barker is a San Diego native and redshirt Keven Campbell hails from Stockton.

Nanook Nuggets
Redshirt freshman Tyrome Flowers (Tacoma, WA) exploded off the bench for 20 points (5-of-9 three-pointers) in game two against Lancaster...Sophomore forward Colin Matteson (Lynnwood, WA) scored a career-high 10 points against Southern Indiana...Freshman guard Jordan Hayter (Grants Pass, OR) was instrumental in the Nanooks win over Pace with a career-high 12 points, three rebounds and three assists in 18 minutes off the bench...Freshman forward Martez Christian (Las Vegas, NV) did not make the trip to Orlando to focus on academics...Alaska has picked up the pace offensively so far. They average 92.8 points a game this season after averaging 80.1 last year... The Nanooks also started 4-1 last year but did so in reverse fashion, losing their first and then rattling off four wins...Alaska is 2-0 in games decided by five points or less thus far.