The Alaska Nanooks men’s basketball team hits the road for the first time this regular season, traveling to the islands for the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge in Honolulu.
Opening their schedule with strong momentum, the Nanooks head south carrying a high-powered offensive rhythm into matchups against Hawaii Pacific on Friday and Chaminade on Saturday.
Head coach Frank Ostanik’s squad arrives following two dominant wins over Northwest Indian College, where they secured a 122-65 victory on Friday and a 108-64 win on Saturday.
The program’s 122-point explosion in the opener stands as the sixth-highest single-game scoring performance in team history, setting an aggressive tone for the early weeks of the campaign.
Guard Davis Crilly spearheaded the opening weekend by putting up 30 points in the first game while shooting an efficient 11-12 from the field, alongside six triples and eight rebounds.
Crilly’s standout performances earned him the GNAC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week honor, announced by the conference on Monday.
“Davis is a special player,” Ostanik said. “His ability to be such a kind and compassionate young man and also bring an edge to the court is unique. This past weekend personifies who Davis is. Everyone will talk about how well he shot the ball, but his 16 rebounds, six steals and eight assists are an indication of how well-rounded his game is. For us to become the best version of ourselves, we need Davis to take that next step as a player. I am confident he will do just that.”
To start the year, Crilly leads the GNAC by averaging 26 points per contest alongside nine total three-pointers and an 81.8% perimeter shooting rate.
As a unit, the Nanooks pace the conference by averaging 115 points per game while yielding just 64.5 points defensively, powered by a conference-leading 63.4% field goal percentage.
Friday night’s test pits Alaska against Hawaii Pacific at The Shark Tank, with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. AKST.
The Sharks enter the contest with a 2-2 record under head coach Jesse Nakanishi, led by senior guard Evan Kilminster’s 16.3 points per game.
On Saturday afternoon, the Nanooks meet the Chaminade Silverswords at McCabe Gymnasium starting at 4 p.m. AKST.
Chaminade holds a 1-3 mark under head coach Eric Bovaird, relying on senior forward Kanaan Holder, who paces the team with 19 points per game.
Following their Hawaiian slate, the Nanooks continue their travels next week to compete in the NNU Tournament in Nampa, Idaho.
Alaska matches up against Adams State on Friday, Nov. 20, before facing Cal Poly Humboldt on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Johnson Sports Center, with both games tipping off at 2:15 p.m. AKST.
