An 8-0 start has propelled the UAA men’s basketball team into the NABC Top 25 Poll for the first time in seven years.
The Seawolves broke in at No. 23 when the second poll of the season was released Tuesday. Fellow GNAC team Saint Martin’s (7-0) was ranked sixth.
UAA is off to its best start in the program’s 46-year history, helping the Seawolves get nationally ranked for the first time since 2016 when they were as high as 12th led by star guard Suki Wiggs.
Now, UAA features all-conference hopefuls Sawyer Storms (11.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.8 apg) and Tyson Gilbert (15.1 ppg) in addition to a host of local players.
Together, they have put the team back on the national stage.
The Seawolves have gotten it done on the defensive end, allowing the fourth-fewest points (55.5) in all of Division II. They are coming off a weekend sweep of Adams State, winning 83-67 Friday and 66-52 Saturday.
The series saw a breakout from Jaron Williams, an Anchorage native who averaged 11 points on 10-of-14 shooting.
Anchorage’s Jaron Williams surveys the court. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/UAA Athletics
The former all-state guard out of East High came into the series averaging 7.0 points off the bench but stepped up for 10 points in Game 1 and a season-high 12 points in Game 2.
On Friday, Anchorage’s Hasaan Herrington scored a season-high nine points and on Saturday’s Anchorage’s Sloan Lentfer grabbed a season-high nine rebounds.
UAA is still without injured forward Bishop Tosi of Anchorage.
The Seawolves being GNAC play this week, starting Thursday at Montana State-Billings before going to Seattle Pacific on Saturday.
GNAC Men’s Basketball
| TEAM | CONF | OVERALL |
| Alaska Anchorage | 0-0 | 8-0 |
| Saint Martin’s | 0-0 | 7-0 |
| Western Washington | 0-0 | 6-3 |
| Central Washington | 0-0 | 4-2 |
| Mont. St-Billings | 0-0 | 3-3 |
| Western Oregon | 0-0 | 3-3 |
| Seattle Pacific | 0-0 | 4-6 |
| Northwest Nazarene | 0-0 | 2-3 |
| Simon Fraser | 0-0 | 2-7 |
| Alaska Fairbanks | 0-0 | 1-5 |
Additional Article Sponsors:Arctic Slope Regional Corporation | Korndrop Family Foundation | Kari and John Ellsworth | Krispy Kreme | Burgerfi | Moose’s Tooth, Bear Tooth and Broken Tooth Brewing | Midas Alaska | BOSCO’s | Replacement Glass | Black-Smith, Bethard & Carlson, LLC. | Nicole Johnston | Loren Kroon | Darren Lieb | R&M Consultants, Inc. | Alaska Oil and Gas Association | Alliance for Support of American Legion Baseball in Alaska | RE/MAX Dynamic Properties Kevin Taylor | Continental Auto Group | William Cotton | Joey Caterinichio & Ja Dorris | Advanced Diagnostics, INC | Foley & Pearson, P.C. | Aspen Endodontics | Residential Mortgage | Invisalign-Ben Ward | Aktive Soles | Sarah & A.J. Schirack | Alice & Gunnar Knapp | The Conway Family | Don Clary & Judy Besh | Lisa Keller/Multisport Training of Alaska | Dan Rufner | On the Border| Amy & Jason Miller | Harlow Robinson | Team Heat | Todd Whited, Mark and Jamie Johnson | Firetap | Coho Financial Group | Jason & Shannon Metrokin | Kathleen Navarre | Jim Hajdukovich | Zareena and Allen Clendaniel | Mark Silverman | Rick Mystrom | Kathie Bethard | Joe Alston Dr. | Justin Libby, DDS | Team Moriarty |
