FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks men's basketball team begins its season this weekend with two home contests vs. the Northwest Indian College Eagles.
Friday, Nov. 6 - Jersey Jam and Postgame Poster Signing
vs. Northwest Indian | 7 p.m.
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks
Saturday, Nov. 7 - Pajama Night
vs. Northwest Indian | 7:45 p.m.
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center | Fairbanks
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Jersey Jam and Postgame Poster Signing
This Friday's game is Alaska's Jersey Jam game, where all fans wearing a sports jersey get in free to both the men's and women's basketball games. There will also be a postgame poster signing, so fans are encouraged to stick around after the game to get a signed Nanooks men's basketball schedule poster from the team.
Pajama Night
Saturday's game is Alaska's Pajama Night game, where fans are invited to wear their best matching set as the Nanooks take on the Eagles.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks had their final tune-up before the season last weekend, taking on the Seattle Mountaineers for two scrimmages on Friday and Saturday.
#NookNotes
- The Nanooks return eight players from last season: senior guard Tariq Weiser, sophomore guard Finn Gregg, senior guard/forward Joel Amaro, senior guard Tyriq Luke, sophomore guard Jett McCullough, redshirt-freshman guard Marcus Stockhausen, senior guard/forward Davis Crilly and redshirt-freshman forward Deng Deng.
- There are seven new faces suiting up for the Blue and Gold this season: Leyton Nield, a 6-4 junior transfer from Mt. Hood Community College; Javares Reid, a 6-9 redshirt-sophomore transfer from Lower Columbia College; Jagger Francom, a 6-9 redshirt-freshman transfer from Trevecca Nazarene University; Nick Clark, a 6-3 redshirt-sophomore transfer from Salt Lake Community College; Ethen Stoddard, a 6-8 redshirt-sophomore transfer from Utah State Eastern; James Bodily, a 6-4 senior transfer from Eastern Oregon University; and Kellen Jedlicka, a 6-5 sophomore transfer from Lewis-Clark State College.
- Head coach Frank Ostanik returns for another year leading the Nanooks men's basketball program. He is joined by two newcomers: assistant coaches Jamayne Potts and Terrell Peter. Potts arrives in Fairbanks with nearly two decades of coaching experience spanning the collegiate, high school, and club levels, including six seasons as a collegiate head coach at Warner Pacific University in Portland, Ore. Peter, a former 'Nook who played on the men's basketball team in 2023-24, comes back to Fairbanks following two successful seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Washington State University, where he played an integral role in the Cougars' day-to-day operations, scouting, player development, and recruiting. Also returning for another season on the coaching staff are assistant coaches Matt Wilken and Matt Martino. Finally, former Nanook Jackson Krug stays in Fairbanks as a graduate assistant after two seasons playing for the Blue and Gold.
- Tyriq Luke and Davis Crilly were named to the GNAC's Preseason All-Conference team, the GNAC announced on Tuesday, Oct. 20. Luke earned the nod after leading the Nanooks in scoring last season, averaging 15.7 points per game in 2025-26, while Crilly joined him as a Preseason All-GNAC recipient after a 2025-26 GNAC All-Conference Honorable Mention selection.
- The Nanooks are coming off a season that saw them go 15-14 and 9-9 in GNAC play, enough to secure their second straight trip to the GNAC Championships as the sixth seed. After finding themselves sitting at a 6-8 conference record and on the outside of the championship spots, the 'Nooks ended the regular season winning three of four, including a 101-97 overtime thriller at Montana State Billings where guard Tyriq Luke went off for 38 points. Alaska took care of business in the opening round of the conference championships, defeating third-seeded Northwest Nazarene 87-75, but fell in double overtime to No. 2 Alaska Anchorage 87-86.
Preseason Poll
- Saint Martin's, 88 (6)
- Central Washington, 84 (1)
- Northwest Nazarene, 80 (3)
- Alaska Anchorage, 62
- Montana State Billings, 61
- Alaska, 56
- Western Washington, 47
- Seattle Pacific, 36
- Western Oregon, 19
- Simon Fraser, 17
What's Next
The Nanooks make their first road trip of the season next week, traveling to Hawaii for the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge. They play Hawaii Pacific on Friday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. AKST, and Chaminade on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 4 p.m. AKST.
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