FAIRBANKS – The Nanooks men's basketball team is back in action this weekend with two scrimmages vs. the Seattle Mountaineers. There will be no live stream or stats, but admission is free, so join us at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium to cheer on your Nanooks.
Friday, Oct. 31
Alumni Game | 7 p.m. | No Stream | No Live Stats | FREE ADMISSION
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks
Saturday, Nov. 1
Alumni Game | 7 p.m. | No Stream | No Live Stats | FREE ADMISSION
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team is back after its Alumni Game last weekend, when they welcomed former Nanooks back to campus to take on the men's basketball team. The 'Nooks claimed the 126-73 win vs. the Alumni.
#NookNotes
- The Nanooks are returning five players from last year's squad. Redshirt senior guard Mike Miller, senior guard Jalai O'Keith, senior guard Jeremiah Hersrud, senior guard Cortarius Mingo and senior forward Jackson Krug all return for another year in Fairbanks. They are joined by junior Tyriq Luke, a guard who was on the 2023-24 Nanooks roster.
- The remainder of the roster consists of five transfers and four freshmen, bringing the squad to 15 players. Tariq Weiser, a 6-3 junior from San Jose City College, Joel Amaro, a 6-7 junior from Shoreline Community College, Davis Crilly, a 6-5 junior from San Jose City College, Luke Fotheringham, a 6-6 junior from Southwestern Oregon Community College and Xzavier Baker, a 6-6 redshirt sophomore from Eastern Arizona College make up the list of transfers on the Nanooks roster.
- Finn Gregg, a 6-0 guard, Marcus Stockhausen, a 6-4 guard, Deng Deng, a 6-5 forward and Jett McCullough, a 6-0 guard, are the freshmen on the team.
- The Nanooks are coming off a 14-14, 10-8 GNAC record, which saw them qualify for the GNAC Championships as a sixth seed after ending the regular season on a five-game winning streak.
- Head coach Frank Ostanik is back for his second season (fifth overall) in charge of the Alaska Nanooks men's basketball program. Assistants Tobin Karlberg, Matt Wilken and Matt Martino all return for their second seasons.
- Alaska will play 13 regular-season contests at the Patty Center this season while traveling for its remaining 15 games.
Preseason All-Conference
Redshirt senior Mike Miller earned a spot on the GNAC Preseason All-Conference team, the conference announced on Thursday, Oct. 23. Miller redshirted last season after joining the squad from San Bernardino Valley College. With the Wolverines, Miller played in and started 29 games during the 2023-24 season. In those games, he averaged 14.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game. From the floor, he shot 40.4%, adding a 28.4% three-point percentage and 72% free-throw percentage. He posted 20 double-digit games during the 2023-24 campaign, including six with 20+ points and a 48-point explosion in a 113-62 win over Barstow. In the Jan. 19 contest, the forward went 18-23 from the floor with 10 made threes, the most in a single game in SBVC history. He added three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
"Mike is a talented young man who has a unique ability to play both sides of the ball," said head coach Frank Ostanik on Miller's selection. "Mike worked very hard last year in the classroom, in the weight room and on the court to put himself in position to have a great season. His leadership will also be a factor for us as we try to take a step forward as a program. As a coach, I am very excited for Mike to be back on the court after redshirting."
Preseason Poll
The Nanooks were tabbed to finish eighth in the conference in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Thursday, Oct. 16. Central Washington was predicted to repeat as GNAC champions, earning 90 points and six first-place votes in the poll, with 2024-25 GNAC runner-up Northwest Nazarene tabbed for another second-place finish this season with 85 points and two first-place votes. Montana State Billings followed in third with 75 points and a first-place vote. The Yellowjackets tied for third in last year's standings with Western Washington and Seattle Pacific, the former of which got the final first-place vote and tied for fourth in the coaches poll with Saint Martin's, receiving 67 votes. The Saints were picked to make the jump from seventh-place in last year's standings, while the team that followed them in the poll, Alaska Anchorage, was predicted to go from tying for eighth in 2024-25 to sixth this season. The Seawolves' 50 points were seven more than Seattle Pacific in seventh, who won last season's GNAC Championships after tying for third in the standings. The 'Nooks, who finished with the sixth-best GNAC record last time around, took the eighth spot in the preseason rankings with 39 points, and were followed by Simon Fraser in ninth with 20 points and Western Oregon in 10th with 14 points.
Halloween Night
Friday's game against the Mountaineers is our Halloween Game. Wear your best costume, and the first 100 fans in attendance will receive a Halloween-themed goodie bag from Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Alaska.
What's Next
The 'Nooks kick off their regular season with two midweek games next week. They hold their regular season opener at home on Wednesday, Nov. 5 vs. Pacific Union, starting at 7 p.m., and take on the Pioneers the following day at the same time.
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