FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team entered the 2024-25 season with questions. A new head coach returning to the program after 17 years, nine newcomers joining the squad and a preseason coaches poll that saw them predicted to finish 10th in the GNAC. They put those questions to bed, going 14-14 overall and 10-8 in conference play to secure a spot in the GNAC tournament.

The 'Nooks began their season on Nov. 8-11 in Hawaii, playing two games against Chaminade and one against Hawaii Pacific. Game one against the CUH Silverswords saw Alaska force overtime, coming back from a 49-41 deficit at halftime. However, the Nanooks were outscored 15-7 in the extra period and dropped their season opener 104-96. Up next was a contest against the HPU Sharks, where after a back-and-forth first half, the Blue & Gold could not keep up with the Sharks and fell 80-67. They closed the road trip with a rematch against the Silverswords, this time falling in regulation 91-84. Despite starting the season 0-3, the 'Nooks showed that they could score from anywhere, with three different players leading them in points in each of the three games. Paul Johnson went off for 29 in game one, while newcomers Chris Lee and Isaiah Saams-Hoy paced the squad with 19 and 28 in the final two games.

After their trip to the Aloha state, Alaska returned home for six games, starting with two against Multnomah on Nov. 22-23. Despite trailing by one with 28 seconds remaining in game one, they picked up their first win against the Lions 83-79. The Nanooks trailed by as many as 10 points in the second game against Multnomah but came back to win 85-84. In both games, Saams-Hoy hit big threes to put the Nanooks up late, and Lee led the team in scoring with 23 and 28. Up next were two games vs. Northwest Indian College over Thanksgiving weekend, with Alaska taking both contests 104-68 and 96-79 to improve to 4-3 entering GNAC play.

The Nanooks kicked off their conference schedule on Dec. 5, beating Western Oregon 87-72. Two days later, they would fall to Saint Martin's 71-63 and ended 2024 by dropping two games in Florida to Palm Beach Atlantic 71-70 and Saint Leo 77-60, entering the winter break with a record of 5-6.

The Nanooks began 2025 with a trip to the Pacific Northwest, facing off against GNAC foes Western Washington and Simon Fraser. Three Nanooks finished with 20+ points in their game against the WWU Vikings, with Johnson, Saams-Hoy and Elyon Zevenbergen posting 23, 22 and 22, respectively. Alaska would win the game 88-73, and grabbed another win at SFU 76-74 to move to 3-1 in GNAC play. Lee led the squad with 21 points vs. the Red Leafs while Saams-Hoy connected on the game-winner with two seconds left, hitting a jumper to add to his catalog of late-game heroics. The Nanooks dropped their game vs. Central Washington on Jan. 9, 93-74, on their return home, but picked up another win over Northwest Nazarene two days later, taking down the Nighthawks 71-62 as Lee and Zevenbergen both put in 20-point performances. The Nanooks played just one game the next week, traveling south for a game against in-state rival Alaska Anchorage. Saams-Hoy and Jalai O'Keith tied for the team lead with 16 points, and Johnson chipped in with 15 and the game-winning three to take down the Seawolves 76-74. The win put the 'Nooks at 9-7, 5-2 GNAC and had them in fourth place in the GNAC standings.

Alaska lost to Montana State Billings the following week 83-70, starting a six-game losing streak that would see the Blue & Gold fall to 9-13, 5-8 GNAC, and to seventh in the GNAC standings. After the game vs. the Yellowjackets, the Nanooks dropped contests against Seattle Pacific (56-54), Simon Fraser (77-74, OT), Western Washington (89-84), Northwest Nazarene (78-70) and Central Washington (92-75). They snapped the streak vs. the Seawolves on Feb. 15, taking down UAA at home 70-63, overcoming a 12-point deficit with 1:04 left in the first half to win by seven. The following week saw two more wins vs. SPU and MSUB to move to .500 in the GNAC. The Nanooks avenged their earlier losses to the Falcons and Yellowjackets by winning 71-60 and 72-64.

Two games remained in the regular season, and the Nanooks needed to win both to secure a spot in the GNAC tournament. Up first was a matchup against the Saint Martin's Saints, which proved to be the game of the year for the Nanooks. After leading 41-31 at halftime, the Saints came back to tie the game with eight seconds left in regulation and force overtime. The Nanooks held late leads in the next three overtime periods, but SMU would tie things up each time, eventually forcing a fourth overtime. Johnson and Griffin Effenberger knocked down threes during the period, and the 'Nooks closed the game out from the free throw line, earning a 123-115, 4OT win to keep their playoff hopes alive heading into the final game of the regular season. Johnson led the team with 28 points vs. the Saints, while Saams-Hoy chipped in with a 26-point, 13-rebound double-double. They concluded the regular season against the Western Oregon Wolves, where the Nanooks cruised to an 85-71 win after holding a double-digit lead for most of the second half. The win saw them end the regular season at 14-13, 10-8 GNAC and clinch the sixth seed in the conference tournament.

Alaska faced off against third-seeded Seattle Pacific in their first GNAC Championship appearance since 2021-22. However, the Nanooks could not keep up with the Falcons and fell 81-47.

Filling Up The Stat Sheet
In his first season at Alaska, Isaiah Saams-Hoy hit the ground running, leading the squad in points (16.3 per game), assists (3.5 per game), blocks (1 per game), steals (1.6 per game) and field goal percentage (50.1%), all of which ranked in the top-10 in the GNAC. Elyon Zevenbergen proved his value on the glass, grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game, the second-most in the conference. Paul Johnson made his mark from beyond the arc, shooting at the 12th-highest clip in Division II at 44.7%. His 2.6 three-pointers per game paced the squad and ranked fourth in the conference.

As a team, the Nanooks were one of the best three-point shooting teams in the GNAC, knocking down 9.8 threes per game (1st in GNAC, 22nd in DII) at a 36.4% clip (2nd in GNAC, 58th in DII).

All-Conference Accolades
The Nanooks were represented by three student-athletes in the GNAC Men's Basketball All-Conference teams. Isaiah Saams-Hoy earned a spot on the Second Team, while Chris Lee and Paul Johnson secured places as Honorable Mentions.

Saams-Hoy earned the honor after leading the Nanooks on both sides of the court. He led the Nanooks with 16.2 points per game while picking up a team-high 43 steals. Only on three occasions did he not score in double-digits for the Nanooks, including seven 20+ point performances and a double-double performance. He posted a career-high 28 points on Nov. 11 at Chaminade, and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds at Saint Martin's, adding 26 points in the win.

Lee was second on the team in scoring, posting 396 total points for 15.2 points per game. He also grabbed 3.7 rebounds per game, dished the second-most assists with 93, and had 26 steals, good for second. Lee played in all but one game and scored in double-digits in 22 of 26 games while adding seven 20+ performances. He scored a season-high 28 points on Nov. 23 against Multnomah and posted an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double on Feb. 27 at Saint Martin's.

Johnson was third on the team in scoring, completing the big three for the Nanooks this season. He averaged 14.6 points per game and was one of the most efficient scorers for Alaska and in the GNAC this season. He shot 48.8% from the floor, with half of his makes coming from beyond the arc. The senior shot 46.5% from three, knocking down 59-127 shots from deep. He added 2.1 rebounds per game and had 46 assists and six steals. Johnson had five 20-point performances, including 29 in the season-opener against Chaminade and 28 at Saint Martin's on Feb. 27. He went 10-17 from the floor and 7-10 from three, helping the Nanooks pull out the 4OT win.

Looking Ahead
While the 2024-25 season may not have ended the way the team wanted, there is still plenty to be excited about as we enter the 2025-26 season. With a full year under his belt in his second stint with the Nanooks, head coach Frank Ostanik and his coaching staff look to continue climbing up the GNAC standings.

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