FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball program has announced the signing of Fairbanks native Tyriq Luke. Luke, a West Valley graduate, is joining the Nanooks after spending last season with Everett Community College in Everett, Wash. 

Luke is a 6-2 guard who averaged 14.1 points per game for the Trojans in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). He shot 49.1% from the floor, 38.8% from deep, 74.7% from the free-throw line and posted 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. "We are very excited to have a local Fairbanks and West Valley High School standout coming back home." Said head coach Greg Sparling, "Tyriq had an outstanding season at Everett Community College under the direction of Coach Trautman. Tyriq has really expanded his game over the past year and he keeps improving his skills daily. We can't wait to get him in a Nanooks uniform and playing in front of his hometown and pursuing his academic degree here at UAF."

In his lone season with Everett, Luke helped the Trojans to a 25-8, 9-5 NWAC record, including a 9-2 home court record and 9-1 neutral site record. Down the stretch, Everett pushed through Spokane in the NWAC Men's Basketball Sweet 16, Lower Columbia in the NWAC Men's Basketball Quarterfinals and Clackamas in the NWAC Men's Basketball Semifinals before falling to Bellevue College in the NWAC Men's Basketball Championship Game. Luke scored 20+ points on four separate occasions while posting a season-high of 25 on Feb. 22 in an 89-88 victory over Edmonds. In that game he went 10-19 from the floor and 5-9 from deep while adding five assists and two rebounds. He is excited to get back to the Interior and inspire the next generation of players from Fairbanks, "Having the opportunity to play in my hometown was something I couldn't pass up. I'm happy to be setting an example for the youngsters of Fairbanks; keep pushing and chasing your dreams."

Luke's coach at Everett chimed in on his recent signing, speaking on his mentality on the court and work ethic, "Tyriq was one of our hardest workers and had a relentless mentality to score the ball and do whatever it took to win the game. He is a great person, fantastic student and leads by example." Coach Colton, Luke's coach at West Valley High School in Fairbanks was also excited to see his return to the Golden Heart City, "I'm very excited to see Tyriq continue his education and basketball career for his hometown at UAF. His family and friends will be able to see him play all the time. A lot of young kids in the community are going to be looking up to him for sure!" 

Additional men's basketball signees will be announced throughout the summer.

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