FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- On Wednesday, Alaska Nanooks men's basketball head coach Mick Durham announced the second addition to the 2016 signing class, as NCAA Division I transfer Nahjee Matlock signed his National Letter of Intent to play for the Nooks next season. Matlock comes to the program after playing one season at Montana State and will have one season of eligibility with Alaska.
"Nahjee brings us a Division I talent with speed and quickness to the point guard position," said Durham. "You really have to look at his junior college stats to get a feel for what kind of player he is. He is a scoring point guard. He has the D-1 body and is very tough defensively. He is a natural point guard and he brings strong leadership to our team. Things didn't work out at Montana State for him, but we're getting a very talented, and hopefully motivated, player for his final season of eligibility."
Matlock appeared in 30 games for Montana State – a program where Durham was the head coach for 16 years from 1990 to 2006 – and averaged 2.0 points and 1.0 assists per game. The 5-11 point guard's best game in an MSU uniform came on Feb. 11 against Northern Arizona, where he posted his first double-double of the year with 13 points and 10 assists against the Lumberjacks.
Prior to Montana State, the Las Vegas native was a double-digit scorer at Tohono O'odham Community College in Sells, Arizona, where he was a teammate with current Nanook forward Bangaly Kaba. Matlock averaged 14.3 points and 4.4 assists in 32 games back during the 2014-15 season for the Jegos. The guard posted double digits in the scoring column in 22 contests and had three games with 10-or-more assists. He ranked 31st in NJCAA Division II in total assists with 142 and was sixth in the nation in steals with 72 that year.
Alaska has now signed two players during the 2016 signing period, as Matlock joins forward Trent Molesworth, who signed with the Nooks from Scottsdale Community College last week.
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team is coming off an outstanding 22-8 season, that saw the program reach its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship game, and set a program record for most GNAC wins in a season with 15. The Nooks were recently selected as HERO Sports NCAA Division II Breakout Team of the Year.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter.
