Alasketball

Alasketball

Postby Jake8005 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 2:18 pm

The UC San Diego Tritons had been accepted into Division I of the NCAA. One problem. It was revealed that they had found a way to mask their shady financials that were not ready for D1 from the NCAA. As a result, they have been sent back down to D2, leaving one less team than the Big West Conference previously thought they had.

In steps the University of Alaska Anchorage. The NCAA decided that they need a 50th state of representation in all sports, and thus added the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves to Division 1. To meet the required number of sports for D1, the Seawolves will be adding a second swimming team as previously it was only a female sport at UAA, and tennis teams for both genders. The Seawolves already participated in Division I for men's hockey and women's gymnastics but will move up from Division II in men's and women's basketball, cross country and track & field, and will start their new programs of men's swimming, and men's and women tennis in Division I.

However, the Seawolves will have their work cut out for them as they transition from D2 to D1. Obviously, they do not have the same talent level as D1 schools do, so will not be expected to be dominant straight away. They also may not have as large of a budget as they had to upgrade parts of their athletic programs to meet the D1 quality, and will need more money due to the increase in scholarships that will be available to them. However, the NCAA did decide to throw UAA a bone. Normally schools transitioning to D1 are not eligible to compete in the postseason for four seasons. However, as they really wanted a full D1 school in Alaska, their twelve new Division I programs will be able to make the postseason in their first seasons. Whether they make it or not, is of course a very different question.

The program that people will have the most eyes on by far is the basketball program. The team will be the biggest revenue source for the athletics department and will potentially compete against some of the biggest names in sports. Their games will be featured on national TV and in Jon Rothstein tweets. The college basketball world will keep an eye on how the transition goes for Alaska Anchorage.

In Division 2, the Seawolves were very successful. They have an all-time record of 786-478 (.622) and an all-time conference record of 353-211 (.626). In 1988, the Seawolves reached the final of the Division II tournament, losing a close 75-72 game to the now D1 Massachusetts-Lowell. In 2008, the Seawolves made it to the semis, losing 56-50 to Augusta State. Out of 43 seasons, the Seawolves have made the NCAA D2 tournament 16 times, winning 13 games.

But they are no stranger to D1 basketball either. For 40 seasons, they hosted the Great Alaska Shootout tournament, which had a rich history and included some of the great programs of the sport, such as Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Louisville, Michigan State, and others. The Seawolves themselves had success in the tournament despite their D2 status (much like the Chaminade Silverswords in the Maui Invitational), as their women's team won the tournament a record seven times, and finished runner up six times. The men also were successful, as they finished in 4th place in the 2009, 2010, and 2012 tournaments, and had 14 all-tournament selections in the 11 seasons they participated from 2007-2017.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Jake8005 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 3:16 pm

ANCHORAGE, Alaska. (AP) - The Alaska Anchorage Seawolves basketball head coach was going to be a crucial position to nail after the retirement of all-time wins leader Rusty Osborne, who had compiled a 299-180 record and only one losing season in his first of 16 seasons at UAA, and made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Div. II Tournament in 2008. Though he retired from coaching, Osborne stayed within the program, transitioning to head of basketball operations. As much as he would help the program out in that role with all his insight and knowledge of the program, they would miss his coaching and help on the court.

That's why athletic director Matt Swartwood knew he had to think big. And not only did he think big, he hired big- literally.

The Seawolves hired the 6'9, retired multiple-time NBA all-star and Alaskan native Carlos Boozer to lead the program through their transition to D1. Though it was not easy to leave retired life so soon, Boozer simply could not turn down the opportunity to lead the first Division I basketball program in his home state. Boozer grew up in Juneau, Alaska, and starred at Juneau-Douglas High School, before heading to Durham, North Carolina, where he won the 2001 National Championship with Duke. Boozer slipped to the 2nd round of the 2002 NBA Draft, where the Cleveland Cavaliers used the 35th pick on him, but he did not let that deter him from doing great at a third level of basketball. Boozer made the 2003 NBA all-rookie second team, after averaging 10 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in his rookie season. Though he was drafted by the Cavs, Boozer is best known for his stint with the Utah Jazz from 2004-2010, where he made two all-star games, the 2008 all-NBA third team and averaged a double-double in his last four seasons there, and in only six seasons rose to 14th place on the all-time Jazz points leaderboard. The zenith of his six seasons in Utah was the 2006-07 season when the Jazz went 51-31, won the Northwest division, and made it back to the western conference finals, before losing in five games to the eventual NBA champion, the San Antonio Spurs. Though the Jazz improved to 54-28 the next season and went 53-29 in Boozer's final season with the team, this is still the last time the Jazz have made the conference finals. However, Boozer was not done with the conference finals. In 2010, Boozer went to the Chicago Bulls, who made that season's conference finals, also losing in 5 games, to the Miami Heat. Although Boozer produced for the Bulls, his production fell, and he never averaged a double-double in any of his four seasons there, and finished his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2014-15 season. After spending the 2016-17 season in the Chinese Basketball Association with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, Boozer retired in 2017, after a successful 14 season career.

Now, he will attempt to have success as a coach as he will guide Alaska's first Division I basketball team at the next level.

At Boozer's press conference at Alaska Airlines Center, AD Ryan Swartwood was asked why he didn't go to the traditional route of hiring an experienced head coach or young rising assistant coach, instead opting for a first-time coach.

Swartwood: "That's a good question. In this process that was definitely something that we considered and pursued as an option. But at the end of the day, we are representing this state at the highest level of collegiate athletics. Alaskans are proud of their state and bringing home our highest-profile basketball expert to lead us into Division I was the right choice for us. I got to know Carlos very well during this process, and if I had even the slightest thought that he was just a hire who would grab us headlines but could not coach our team, I would be here with somebody else today."

Boozer was asked how he felt about this

Boozer: "I think the goal Ryan has in mind for this program is right. I love this state. I grew up here. Alaska made me who I am, far before I ever made the NBA. And I'm proud of that. Our focus is going to be on Alaska, we will ONLY recruit Alaskans and nowhere else. I feel like it's our duty to do so. We're representing this state, and nobody can represent Alasaka better than Alaskans. Not only that, but it's just not financially feasible to be recruiting all across the country."

Boozer was also asked how he would like his team to play.

Boozer: We need to play intense basketball. We are going to try our best for 40 minutes. Not 39. Not 38. Not 35. Not 30. Maybe sometimes it'll be 45. We will try to be potent on offense, but that does not mean we will neglect defense either. We will need to play defense as a team of five, not just as five individuals, and the same goes for offense."

The Seawolves will certainly need to give their best to have a chance at winning against all the experienced D1 programs they will face.
Last edited by Jake8005 on Wed Mar 27, 2024 9:09 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Wayne23 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 4:23 pm

Welcome! Always great to have someone start a new Dynasty Report and you're off to a great start.

I think you just might have a huge challenge if you only recruit Alaskans, but I look forward to being proven wrong!
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Jake8005 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 4:37 pm

Thank you! Yes, it is a huge challenge, but I have thought of ways around it. Heavy use of redshirts to have very experienced teams, sometimes led by fifth-year seniors, as well as getting any transfers that are from Alaska. Team cohesiveness will also be key. The focus will definitely be program building, not one-and-done types. But Virginia has never gotten a five star and they won a national championship, so I'd like to think I can do this. And in the end, I want to do it this way because it'll make it fun.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Wayne23 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 5:14 pm

Sounds like fun, yes.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Jake8005 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 8:37 pm

Overview

The Seawolves start off with the following school infortmation

Team prestige: 2/100
Conference prestige: 28/100
Budget: 125,000
Facilities: C
Academics: C-
Sat minimum: 860

They play in the Big West Conference, which contains University of California or California State system schools, and their fellow isolated school Hawaii.

These teams are: The Cal State Fullerton Titans, Cal State Northridge Matadors, UC-Davis Aggies, UC-Irvine Anteaters, UC-Riverside Highlanders, UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos, Cal Poly Mustangs, Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, Long Beach State Beach, Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners, and finally of course the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves

Now let's meet the team.

Starting lineup

Johnny Pengelly SR. Houston, AK. PG 6'3 170 lbs. 3.5/3.5
Lee Crosby SR. Soldotna, AK. SG 6'3 217 lbs. 3.5/4
Herb Smiley SO. Nikiski, AK. PF 6'7 198 lbs. 3/3.5
Livan Gaither SR. Eielson AFB, AK. PF 6'6 200 lbs. 3.5/4
Matt Louis JR. Seward, AK. C 7'1 275 lbs. 2.5/3

Bench

Main subs:
David Omara SR. Nikiski, AK. PG 6'1 183 lbs. 3.5/4
Michael Blake JR. Anchorage, AK.SF 6'7 243 lbs. 2/2.5

Secondary subs:
Kelvin Geyer SO. Soldotna, AK. C 6'9 267 lbs. 0.5/2

Quadree Fleming JR. Anchorage, AK. SG 6'2 180 lbs. 2.5/3.5


Garbage time:
John Haymon SO. Fairbanks, AK. PF 6'6 211 lbs. 0.5/2
Jeff Rowell JR. Homer, AK. SG 6-3 186 lbs. 1.5/3
Travis Stokes FR. Fairbanks, AK. SF 6'6 2-2 lbs. 0.5/2.5
Otis Strong JR. Anchorage, AK. PG 6'2 183 lbs. 1.5/3.5

Jacob Cox FR. Kenai Central, AK. SF 6'4 234 lbs. 0.5/0.5 (walk-on)
Adam Finneman FR. Kenai Central, AK. PF 6'6 191 lbs. 0.5/0.5 (walk-on)

One thing I immediately noticed was the lack of size, with one very notable exception in 7'1 center Matt Louis. Seven out of the 15 players are 6'4 or shorter, and six of them are 6'3 or shorter. Thirteen of the players are 6'7 and shorter, meaning Louis and 6'9 sophomore center Kelvin Geyer are the only players that are at least 6'8. This presents another problem. Geyer is not very good, as he is only rated at half a star. This means I will either have to play Louis close to the whole game, play Geyer when he's on the bench, or put a woefully undersized combo forward at center such as Gaither (6'6, 200 lbs.) or Smiley (6'7, 198 lbs.) when Louis is not playing. I may use exhibition games to see if Geyer is better than I thought he was and thus useable as a backup center. There is a distinctly unfavorable dispersion of talent on my team, as my 3rd string guards are better than my backup bigs. It sure would be nice if they were sophomores I could redshirt instead of juniors. I may at times go very small and play Crosby at SF despite being 6'3 and 217 lbs, so Omara and especially Fleming more, as Fleming is a quality player without a way into the rotation, when I do this, Smiley may also move to PF at times. My recruiting efforts will focus on size, and bringing in a point guard as my main two point guards will be graduating. I also could use a wing that can play SG and SF, so those will probably be how I use my four scholarships that are available.
Last edited by Jake8005 on Sat Jul 01, 2023 10:45 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Jake8005 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:28 pm

As for the staff, they are ALL Alaskan natives as well.

My associate head coach is Mike Dunlap. The native Fairbanks, Alaska is a long-time coach, having coached at various college and professional teams since 1980, including one season an NBA head coach with the Charlotte Bobcats in the 2012-13 season, and coaching Loyola Marymount from 2014-20, part of the 20 seasons he has spent as an NCAA head coach. Dunlap was with the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks, but we managed to get him to leave to coach his home state's first Division I team. He will serve as our recruiting coach, using his long experience in recruiting to help us.

My other two assistants are Damon Bell-Holter and Ramon Harris. Bell-Holter is from the small town of Hyadburg, Alaska, and played college basketball at Oral Roberts University from 2009-2013. He was in training camp later that year with the Boston Celtics of the NBA, before playing for their D-league team, and then playing overseas. Every summer, Bell-Holter would return to his hometown to host basketball clinics, teaching the fundamentals of the game. As such, he will serve as our practice coach.

Harris is from our city of Anchorage, Alaska, and played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats from 2006-2010, starting 55 of the 106 games he played there. Like Bell-Holter, Harris played professionally overseas and in the D-League. He will be our scouting coach.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby PointGuard » Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:35 pm

Intriguing concept of limiting recruiting to just Alaska. I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Jake8005 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:36 pm

Recruiting

As stated earlier, we will only be recruiting from the state of Alaska. We did purchase the gold star report for the west region though as it gave us more information about the Alaskan players, and we had more than enough money to do so, and we will travel to the Las Vegas camp as we still have $43,000 left afterward, which is more than enough to recruit solely in our state.

As stated, we want to recruit two bigs who can play center, a point guard, and a wing. The only position we don't REALLY need is a combo forward, but we could still use somebody good there as we only have three players who can give us big minutes right now there, and one is graduating after this season.

There are 11 recruits this year from the state of Alaska, they are, as follows:

#94 PF 4 star Torraye Brown, 6'8 202 lbs, Palmer
#342 SG 3 star Marcus Leep 6'0 178 lbs, Anchorage
#362 SG 3 star Duany Forbes 6'2 176 lbs, Kenai Central
'#429 PF 2 star Connor Kamouna 6'10 240 lbs, Valdez
#1121 C 1 star John Hunter 6'8 263 lbs, Homer
#1123 PG 1 star Eric Edwards 6'3 210 lbs, Juneau
#1264 C 1 star Corey Mason 6'9 263 lbs, Eielson AFB
#1336 SF 1 star Corsley Walker 6'7 200 lbs, Palmer
#1672 SF 1 star Clint Kent 6'8 202 lbs, Eagle River
#1762 PG 1 star Carlos Dove 6'3 185 lbs, Valdez
#1771 PG 1 star Travis Mintz 6'2 173 lbs, Homer

Brown is easily the crown jewel of the group, but there are others that interest me like the 3 stars, Leep and Forbes of course, and Kamouna who would give us much-needed size. I will also thoroughly scout the three point guards to determine who would be the best for us. However, due to all the resources I will be putting into just 11 players, it is likely I will be scouting all 11 players that intensely. I have watched film on them, and will be live scouting and hosting all of them for visits.

So far the campus visits have not done much to interest the 3 and 4 star recruits.

However, we head to Las Vegas to see our targets in action at the Las Vegas camp.

7/9

Boozer: So what do we think of the recruits?

Dunalp: It should be even more obvious by now that Brown is the best Alaskan recruit this year. I thought he was one of the top five players at the camp. He needs to be our main target, as unlikely as it is that we get him. I also thought Marcus Leep was in the top 10. Forbes and Kamouna didn't really stand out to me, but we should still recruit them as the former two will be hard to get to commit here.

Boozer: I agree. But we need to do our work to know everything about all 11 recruits

Harris: I agree, it needs to be a full-court press.

Bell-Holter: Speaking of a full-court press, make sure they can do that. I've already got the practice drills planned to make sure our players can.
Last edited by Jake8005 on Wed Jul 27, 2022 9:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Alasketball

Postby Jake8005 » Sun Jan 23, 2022 10:37 pm

PointGuard wrote:Intriguing concept of limiting recruiting to just Alaska. I'm looking forward to seeing how it goes.


Thank you! So am I.
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