Early games

[D2Rover]

If anybody goes D1, Central will be the first whenever football drives them to do so. The Lone Star doesn't want to keep travelling out here for games forever. My guess is WWU gets serious about it as soon as (if) that happens. Not sure what the fallout from that is for other programs. I would think Anchorage at the D1 level would be able to find some NIL money from somebody in Alaska, and getting decent non-con games is probably workable. Problem is finding a conference willing to travel every year.

On the court, two nice wins for the Vikings this week including a buzzer beating three to win the opener over #12 Cal St Dominguez Hills.

[tsull]

If anybody goes D1, Central will be the first whenever football drives them to do so. The Lone Star doesn't want to keep travelling out here for games forever. My guess is WWU gets serious about it as soon as (if) that happens. Not sure what the fallout from that is for other programs. I would think Anchorage at the D1 level would be able to find some NIL money from somebody in Alaska, and getting decent non-con games is probably workable. Problem is finding a conference willing to travel every year.

On the court, two nice wins for the Vikings this week including a buzzer beating three to win the opener over #12 Cal St Dominguez Hills.

No one from the GNAC is D1 ready. CWU's budget is a good $10M behind the last budgeted team in the Big Sky. WWU and others aren't D1 caliber. I call a lot of schools Dwannabes. Northern Colorado is simply horrific in all sports. Sure, someone can mention a 40-point blowout in the Big Dance some year, but it's a disaster in Greely. It takes lots of cash to play even Big Sky. Montana and MSU both average more than 20K a game in football. They're not taking schools without nearby airports, they're done with that. Will the Lone Star dump WOU and CWU in football? There's a good chance. Will the Big Sky take either team? That would be no and no ... and I covered Big Sky sports for a few years, they are hell-bent on not letting in anymore rural, hard-to-get-to schools.

[D2Rover]

No one from the GNAC is D1 ready. CWU's budget is a good $10M behind the last budgeted team in the Big Sky. WWU and others aren't D1 caliber. I call a lot of schools Dwannabes. Northern Colorado is simply horrific in all sports. Sure, someone can mention a 40-point blowout in the Big Dance some year, but it's a disaster in Greely. It takes lots of cash to play even Big Sky. Montana and MSU both average more than 20K a game in football. They're not taking schools without nearby airports, they're done with that. Will the Lone Star dump WOU and CWU in football? There's a good chance. Will the Big Sky take either team? That would be no and no ... and I covered Big Sky sports for a few years, they are hell-bent on not letting in anymore rural, hard-to-get-to schools.

A desperate WAC is much more likely than the Big Sky. Also, I didn't really say they were ready, I said they would do it if it's the only way to play football. Looking at my original post I might not have said that clearly, but if no D2 conference will take them for football, they will do whatever needs done to keep the football program healthy - if that means D1 that's what they'll do. I don't think anyone in the conference is even thinking about D1 otherwise.

WWU women got their first win of the year against East Bay last night in a blowout. Multiple players out for the season before it even started, going to be a weird year.

[tsull]

A desperate WAC is much more likely than the Big Sky. Also, I didn't really say they were ready, I said they would do it if it's the only way to play football. Looking at my original post I might not have said that clearly, but if no D2 conference will take them for football, they will do whatever needs done to keep the football program healthy - if that means D1 that's what they'll do. I don't think anyone in the conference is even thinking about D1 otherwise.

WWU women got their first win of the year against East Bay last night in a blowout. Multiple players out for the season before it even started, going to be a weird year.

They can play Division II independent football. Remember they went to two National playoffs as an independent, maybe three.

[Anchorage]

Well UAA dropped their 6th straight game versus a d2 team, this time by 7 at home to 2-3 Newberry. Newberry did their part to help UAA with 24 turnovers while allowing the Seawolves 15 offensive boards. And even a dizzying display of turnovers, bad fouls and not rebounding by the visiting team could the Seawolves over the hump.

UAA is now shooting a putrid 36.5% from the field and 30.6% from 3 against D2 competition over this stretch. This team simply can’t score the basketball. They can’t shoot, they can’t score in the lane, they have no post up players…it’s quite an impressive feat.

But never fear, UAA will make a huge public relations push about a record setting win in point differential against Portland Bible last weekend.

Newberry and UAA meet tomorrow again in another clash of these two buzzsaws.

[tsull]

Well UAA dropped their 6th straight game versus a d2 team, this time by 7 at home to 2-3 Newberry. Newberry did their part to help UAA with 24 turnovers while allowing the Seawolves 15 offensive boards. And even a dizzying display of turnovers, bad fouls and not rebounding by the visiting team could the Seawolves over the hump.

UAA is now shooting a putrid 36.5% from the field and 30.6% from 3 against D2 competition over this stretch. This team simply can’t score the basketball. They can’t shoot, they can’t score in the lane, they have no post up players…it’s quite an impressive feat.

But never fear, UAA will make a huge public relations push about a record setting win in point differential against Portland Bible last weekend.

Newberry and UAA meet tomorrow again in another clash of these two buzzsaws.

I don't get it. Since I've been following division 2 basketball on the west coast, Alaska Anchorage has always been pretty good and their down seasons were .500. You have a better historical grasp on this than I do, obviously. I seriously am confused about what's going on up North. They have enough resources to be a very good division 2 program.

[CWU Wildcat Nation]

CWU's up and down season continues with an upset of #13 Point Loma!

[Anchorage]

I don't get it. Since I've been following division 2 basketball on the west coast, Alaska Anchorage has always been pretty good and their down seasons were .500. You have a better historical grasp on this than I do, obviously. I seriously am confused about what's going on up North. They have enough resources to be a very good division 2 program.

i think it’s the quality of recruit coming here. I just don’t think Rusty and Orton relate well with prospects these days. End of the day, they have to convince these recruits to spend the next two or three years with them, come to Alaska and sell them that they will be able to build a winning team around them. When recent history suggests they won’t. And I just don’t think players like those two much at all, no one sticks around after gradation to be a grad assistant or anything like that. Arguably the most important player at UAA in the last ten years is coaching in Fairbanks. These in town players, and players from Washington, Oregon…the west cosst. They all know and talk to each other. Word gets out what the culture is like with the team.

I just think we need a younger staff that relates to today’s plsyer better and does an entire rebuild on the culture.

[Anchorage]

UAA blows an 11 point lead with 7 min to go to Newberry but are able to save face with a game winner at the buzzer. UAA is now 1-6 vs D2 competition.

[northernGNAChoopfan]

I'm not quite sure what to think of the Nooks yet. They have a few pretty good ball players, and they've had some moments where they look like they could become a good team. But...They have had more moments where the defensive tenacity is lacking and they don't appear to know each other well yet or have quite grasped what the system is that Ostanik is trying to implement. I suppose that's all par for the course right now. They had some guys playing in Hawaii who are now in sweats on the bench and they are missing their big guy now too, so are a bit undersized. I guess time will tell. One thing is clear; watching Ostanik coach is half the fun of going to the games. He rarely sits down and is yelling the entire time. Clearly his heart is completely in it, and hopefully the guys know the constant yelling is something they need to learn to live with, if not love themselves. It'll be great to get a few league games in to get a better idea of where they are at with the level of competition, and then hopefully they will all survive the very dark season in Fairbanks, waiting for the holidays to pass so they can get on with it again.

[Anchorage]

I'm not quite sure what to think of the Nooks yet. They have a few pretty good ball players, and they've had some moments where they look like they could become a good team. But...They have had more moments where the defensive tenacity is lacking and they don't appear to know each other well yet or have quite grasped what the system is that Ostanik is trying to implement. I suppose that's all par for the course right now. They had some guys playing in Hawaii who are now in sweats on the bench and they are missing their big guy now too, so are a bit undersized. I guess time will tell. One thing is clear; watching Ostanik coach is half the fun of going to the games. He rarely sits down and is yelling the entire time. Clearly his heart is completely in it, and hopefully the guys know the constant yelling is something they need to learn to live with, if not love themselves. It'll be great to get a few league games in to get a better idea of where they are at with the level of competition, and then hopefully they will all survive the very dark season in Fairbanks, waiting for the holidays to pass so they can get on with it again.

I suspect they will be as good in any given night as Chris Lee takes them. They seem to have given him a complete green light to shoot, which he will do. He's a classic shoot you in or shoot you out of a game type player, has been since high school.

Saw Sullivan Menard is starting at Northwest Nazerene, another shoot you in or out type player. Alaska high school basketball from 2019 has been heavily represented in the GNAC. The 4A state tournament that year had the following on the all- tournament team…

Isaiah Moses (former UAA and now Cal Riverside)
Jaren Carle (Former UAF)
Evan Hoosier (Former UAA)
JaRon Williams (Former UAA)
Sullivan Menard (Northwest Naz)
Jeremiah Hersrud (UAF)
Chris Lee (UAF)
Marcus Lee (Forner UAF)
Terrell Peter (Former UAF)
Jersey Truesdale) (Former UAF)

Also pretty sure current UAA player, and future state player of the year Hassan Harrington came off the bench for East that year.

Pretty sure no other state had so many all-state players all end up at one point or another in the same conference.

[tsull]

I'm not quite sure what to think of the Nooks yet. They have a few pretty good ball players, and they've had some moments where they look like they could become a good team. But...They have had more moments where the defensive tenacity is lacking and they don't appear to know each other well yet or have quite grasped what the system is that Ostanik is trying to implement. I suppose that's all par for the course right now. They had some guys playing in Hawaii who are now in sweats on the bench and they are missing their big guy now too, so are a bit undersized. I guess time will tell. One thing is clear; watching Ostanik coach is half the fun of going to the games. He rarely sits down and is yelling the entire time. Clearly his heart is completely in it, and hopefully the guys know the constant yelling is something they need to learn to live with, if not love themselves. It'll be great to get a few league games in to get a better idea of where they are at with the level of competition, and then hopefully they will all survive the very dark season in Fairbanks, waiting for the holidays to pass so they can get on with it again.

I think UAF beats Western Oregon in both men's and women's basketball this week. I wish I had more faith in the Wolves, but I don't. I'd be glad to be wrong.

[tsull]

UAF blasts Western Oregon, taking a 17-point halftime lead on its way to victory. Wolves again flat out refuse to play defense. Sadly, program has hit rock bottom.

[Anchorage]

St Martin’s pulls out a 5 point win over UAA. Which honestly was closer than I anticipated so good showing by UAA. Seawolves drop to 1-7 against D2 competition on the year.

Clash of the Titans battle with Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon!

[tsull]

St Martin’s pulls out a 5 point win over UAA. Which honestly was closer than I anticipated so good showing by UAA. Seawolves drop to 1-7 against D2 competition on the year.

Clash of the Titans battle with Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon!

We went from A+ coaches Brady Bergeson and Jim Shaw to this at WOU. I thought Wes Pifer would work out, obviously not. Previous A.D. hired him and then quickly left town. The A.D. came from Alabama, never changed his license plates to Oregon, family never moved to Oregon ... probably a big hint there. Women's hoop coach hired from West Virginia ... we've really lost our way in some regards. Ever since we've gone D2, we've gotten too arrogant, IMO, and quit recruiting and hiring from Oregon ... except football and guess what, football is doing great right now. Of course the head coach is an alum and understands the college, the community, and the state. Our hoop coaches refuse to recruit Oregon prep kids, freaking maddening ... I guess those last-place finishes show they're right.

* Western Oregon track and field coach is also a great one, and he recruits the state pretty hard. I want to give him credit.