FAIRBANKS, Alaska – On Friday, the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will unofficially open the 2015-16 season as they'll host the annual Blue-Gold Game at the Alaska Airlines Court at the Patty Center on Friday night. Events are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.
Alaska enters its fifth season under the direction of head coach Mick Durham, as his team enters the 2015-16 season looking to rebound from a 7-19 campaign from a year ago. The Nanooks return a heap of talent, which includes a trio of Preseason All-GNAC selections in Ashton Edwards, Almir Hadzisehovic and Joe Slocum. The three seniors lead a group of nine returners and nine newcomers on this year's roster.
Durham is looking forward to the Blue-Gold game, as it give his team an opportunity to break away from their normally practice regiment and play in front of fans.
"This Friday will be a good gage to see where we are at as a team," the head man said. "I would expect us to try to get up and down the court. We have a lot of guys on this year's roster and one of the advantages for me in a game like this is to use a bunch of different combinations. We have a lot of competition for spots right now, and we'll probably go with two completely different teams in each half to see what we have."
Friday's scrimmage will consist of two 20-minute halves. During the intermission, the Nanooks will host a dunk contest and a three-point contest.
"We like to have some fun at these games and mix it up at half. We will have about four guys compete in the dunk contest and probably have four guys go in our three-point contest. It lets our players have a little bit of fun and it's an event that the fans really enjoy and we're happy to put that on for them."
The Nanooks continue their preseason slate of games next Friday, Nov. 6, as they'll take on NCAA Division I Nevada in exhibition action. Tip-off from Reno, Nevada is set for 6 p.m. AKT.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
