Men's Basketball | 11/17/2016 3:49:00 PM
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team will travel 365 miles south to Anchorage to participate in the 24th annual AT&T Seawolf Jamboree this Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19. The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves are hosting the tournament at the Alaska Airlines Center, where they will host Cal State LA and BYU-Hawaii before flip-flopping opponents. Alaska is slated to host Cal State LA at 4pm AKST on Friday before facing-off against BYU-Hawaii on Saturday at 2pm AKST for the second time this week.
Schedule
Friday, Nov. 18:
4pm: Alaska (1-2) vs. Cal State LA (1-1)
6pm: Alaska Anchorage (2-2) vs. BYU-Hawaii (0-1)
Saturday, Nov. 19:
2pm: Alaska vs. BUY-Hawaii
4pm: Alaska Anchorage vs. Cal State LA
Alaska Projected Starters:
#3 Nahjee Matlock (Sr./G/Las Vegas, Nevada)
#13 Bangaly Kaba (Sr./F/Houston, Texas)
#20 LaDonavan Wilder (Jr./F/Oakland, Calif.)
#21 Zach Pederson (Sr./F/Snohomish, Wash.)
#31 Brandon Davis (Sr./G/Spokane, Wash.)
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks went 0-2 in last weekend's GNAC/PacWest Crossover tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii last weekend, falling 71-78 to Hawaii Pacific University on Friday, Nov. 11 before dropping to Chaminade University 66-80 on Saturday, Nov. 12. The weekend wasn't a loss for the new team, as they bounced back on Monday, Nov. 14 to defeat BYU-Hawaii in Laie 73-64.
Davis Named to GNAC/PacWest Crossover All-Tournament Team
On Monday, the Hawaii Pacific Sharks released that senior guard Brandon Davis was named to the GNAC/PacWest Crossover All-Tournament team, being the only representative for the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team. The team was selected by Sports Information Directors in attendance at the Crossover in Honolulu, Hawaii. Davis recorded 32 points in Alaska's two losses t Chaminade and HPU and also registered six assists.
Leave it to Davis
Senior guard Brandon Davis leads the Nanooks with 46 points over their first three games of the season. Davis led the team with 15 points against HPU on Friday and 17 points against Chaminade on Saturday, while shooting 40% from the floor. Davis ranks fourth in the GNAC with an average of 35 minutes per game.
Helping Hand
Senior guard Nahjee Matlock is averaging 4.33 assists per game in the Nanooks' first three of the season, ranking him fourth individually in the GNAC. Matlock's eight assists against Chaminade currently holds the season-high within the conference.
GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll
Last month, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference released their men's basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, where the Nanooks were selected to finish the 2016-17 season in fourth place. After coming off of a historic 22-8 overall season (15-5 GNAC), Alaska garnered 79 points in the poll to place fourth in the 11-team conference. The ranking puts the Nanooks up two-sports from their sixth place finish in the 2015-16 Preseason Poll.
Kaba Unanimous Preseason Selection
Last month, the GNAC released its 2016-17 Preseason All-GNAC team, in which Alaska Nanooks men's basketball senior Bangaly Kaba was named one of five unanimous selections. In the 2015-16 season, Kaba averaged 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, while also being one of three players to start in all 30 games for the Nooks. The Houston, Texas native recorded two double-doubles on the year and scored double-digit figures in 20 games. The forward led the team with .509 field goal percentage (142-of-279), which ranked within the GNAC top-10.
Scouting the Opponent – Cal State LA (1-1 overall)
The Golden Eagles split their first two non-conference games of the season, beating Cal Lutheran 97-80 before falling to Concordia-Irvine 75-67 last weekend. Cal State LA is led offensively by senior guard Jordan Wilson, who's currently averaging 19.5 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and shooting a .520 field goal percentage. Also chipping in for Cal State LA is senior guard Roderick Evans-Taylor, who's posting a 15.5 point per game average, 7.0 rebound per game average, 3.5 assists per game average and shooting a .480 field goal percentage.
Scouting the Opponent – BYU-Hawaii (0-1)
The Nanooks and the Seasiders meet again for the second time this week, as BYU-Hawaii fell in their official season-opener to the Nanooks on Monday, Nov. 14
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.
