Nanooks men’s basketball take on alumni
Story and photos by Aaron Thomas
The Nanooks battle the team’s alumni on the court.
On October 25 the Nanooks kicked off the basketball season by playing a scrimmage against alumni. The bleachers were packed with fans eager to get a first glimpse of the upcoming season and to watch former players return to the spotlight.
While the two teams were initially neck and neck, by the time the first half of the game ended the current team was in the lead with a score of 69-38. As the night went on, the point gap widened as the alumni’s defense faltered. The game concluded with a score of 126-73, with the current lineup winning. While the alumni lost, they put up a fight, managed to get some impressive plays, and had a great time. The crowds cheered on the alumni and thoroughly enjoyed watching the game.
“It went about as well as you would expect for an average age of about 40,” said Isaac Ladines, a UAF alumni that played as a center for the Nanooks in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons.
Jalai O’Keith blocking a pass.
Ladines reminisced about his time spent on the team and spoke highly of the program. Though the program has evolved over the years and grown considerably, the atmosphere of comradery and team spirit has remained. Ladines said the new team has a good core group of players and he wished the team luck for the coming season
“I had a great time. It was a fantastic student-athlete environment and great teammates. Just an awesome program and everybody was in on it,” said Ladines.
For the current lineup, the scrimmage was an opportunity to prepare for the upcoming season and to spend time with their predecessors on the court. Because the team has not played a game in the GNAC conference for the current season, the event gave fans a preseason look at what is to come this year.
“You know, it's a good experience and we just wanted to have fun out there,” said Jackson Krug, a senior forward for the Nanooks this season.
“It was a fun time to see old faces out here and get them to connect with the new guys and just share the floor together,” said Tobin Karlberg, the assistant coach for the basketball team. While the season is only beginning, Karlberg seems optimistic about the team’s outlook.
“I would say it's going really well so far. We love our group of guys,” Karlberg said.
Luke Fotheringham blocks a shot.
Karlberg described that this season is a rebuilding year and that several players such as Mike Miller, Jackson Krug, and Tyriq Luke are stepping up this season in the wake of lineup changes.
“Our main goal that we talk about every day is just getting a little bit better every single day,” said Karlburg. With the Nanooks currently in eighth place in the preseason rankings,
On October 31, the Nanooks will play the Seattle Mountaineers in a Halloween night scrimmage in Fairbanks at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium.
The Nanooks pose with the alumni.