FAIRBANKS - Isaiah Saams-Hoy was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday, Feb. 24. This is Saams-Hoy's first-career GNAC weekly honor and is the first weekly honor earned by the Alaska Nanooks men's program this season. 

Saams-Hoy played a pivotal role in the Nanooks sweeping their two home games this past weekend against Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings. With the two victories, the Nanooks stay in the hunt for the GNAC Men's Basketball Championships heading into the final week of regular-season play. On Thursday, Feb. 20 against the Falcons of Seattle Pacific, Saams-Hoy had 17 points on 7-12 shooting from the floor (.583%). He added a three-pointer, a pair of free throws and filled up the rest of the statsheet with seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a blocked shot. Game two against Montana State Billings saw Saams-Hoy post 18 points on five made field goals. He went 7-8 from the free-throw line, grabbed nine rebounds, three offensive, five assists, two blocks, and one steal. 

In 34.5 minutes per game, he finished the weekend averaging 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game alongside only one turnover. He shot 52.2% from the floor and 90% from the free-throw line. Head coach Frank Ostanik spoke about Saams-Hoy's strong week on the court and the stability he has brought to the program this year, "Isaiah has been a rock for us all season, and this past week is one more example of what he means to our team and why he is such a special player. Isaiah's impact was felt in all aspects of both games. He was great each night at the defensive end while scoring and rebounding at a high level. More importantly, Isaiah did all this while taking great care of the ball, handing out eight assists to just one TO. Isaiah's contributions on and off the court were a big part of our success."

Saams-Hoy and the Nanooks look to continue their hot-streak into the final regular-season matchups on the road. They take on Saint Martin's on Thursday, Feb. 27 and Western Oregon on Saturday, March 1. 

CLICK HERE to view all 2024-25 GNAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week recipients. 

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