NABC Release (PDF) | NABC Release (Website)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – On Tuesday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) announced their 2019-20 NABC Honors Court, which featured two members of the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team in senior shooting guard Zach Hatch and junior forward Alex Sommerfield. It is both Hatch and Sommerfield's first NABC academic honor of their careers as Nanooks.

"It's a well deserved award for both Zach and Alex," head men's basketball coach Greg Sparling said on Tuesday. "They both excelled in the classroom and were rewarded with this recognition from the NABC. I would like to congratulate Zach on his graduation from UAF and we are looking forward to having Alex back for his senior season. We know he will do great things in the classroom and on the court." 

The NABC Honors Court recognized more than 1,350 men's collegiate basketball student-athletes for their academic success this past season. According to their press release, "the NABC Honors Court highlights the talents and gifts that these men possess on the court and the hard work they exhibit in the classroom."

In order to qualify for the NABC Honors Court, a student-athletes must be academically a junior, senior or a varsity player, a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher at the conclusion of the 2019-20 academic year, must have matriculated at least one year at their current institution, and must be a member of an NCAA Division I, II, III or NAIA Division I or II institution with a NABC member coach.

Hatch, a recent University of Alaska Fairbanks graduate in Business Administration, concluded the 2019-20 season appearing in 22 games, averaging 9.6 minutes per game. The Snohomish, Washington native earned a .300 field goal percentage and a .269 three-point field goal percentage, while also earning 21 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Hatch finished his time with the Alaska Nanooks earning 26 points this last season.

Sommerfield, a junior transfer this past season, was recently honored as a Great Northwest Athletic Conference Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar-Athlete for his 4.0 cumulative GPA while majoring in digital journalism.

In his first year with the Nooks, Sommerfield appeared in all 30 contests for the Nanooks, averaging 23.0 minutes per game. The Federal Way, Washington product averaged 7.1 points per game, pulling down 21 offensive and 76 defensive rebounds for 97 total. Sommerfield earned a .451 field goal percentage, a .371 three-point field goal percentage and a .783 free throw percentage. Sommerfield also picked up 24 assists, 16 blocks and 13 steals.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team, follow @NanooksMBB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks page on Facebook.