ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Nine seasons ago, the Alaska men's basketball team made history when it captured the 2002 BP Top of the World Classic championship by defeating three Division I teams at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
The Nanooks, who defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay, Nebraska and Weber State, became the first and so far the only Division II program to win a Division I in-season tournament.
This upcoming February, the team's feat will be inducted to the sixth class of the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in the “Moments” category.
“It's definitely a great honor and is something that's a big part of the department's history,” Alaska Direct of Athletics
Forrest Karr said. “I was able to be a part of four of the 12 Top of the World tournaments and understand the challenges and how difficult it would be to win three games in a row in a Division I tournament. It was a pretty magical year for the program and winning that tournament was a big part of it.”
Joining the Nanooks in this year's class are: Olympic cross-country skier Bill Spencer and climber Vern Tejas, along with the Gold Medal Basketball Tournament in Juneau, which will be in the “Event” category.
“I've heard stories from lots of people in town on what it was like to be in the building that night to witness history,” Karr said. “Now it will be down at the Ted Stevens Airport for people to be able to read about, to relive and remember, so it's a neat thing.”
