UAA coach Rusty Osbrone made a claim at having the tournament's toughest player during a pre-Shootout luncheon Wednesday.

"I don't know what your guys have done, but my guy's shot a polar bear," Osborne said.

Osborne was speaking of guard Ryan Rock, who hails from the remote Inupiaq village of Tikigaq (Point Hope), located north of the Arctic Circle in northwest Alaska. Rock confirmed the kill before Thursday's game against Nicholls State, and said the successful subsistence hunt came during a big weekend near the end of his senior year.

"Actually, it was the day before prom," he said.

Seawolves fans will have to wait until next season to get a glimpse of the Point Hope sharpshooter.

"Unfortunately," Osborne said. "He's a redshirt."

They call him what?

If you think hulking Oklahoma freshman Keith "Tiny" Gallon is big now, you should have seen him in middle school.

At 6-feet-9, 296 pounds, Gallon has dropped more than 60 pounds since he started to take basketball seriously as a sophomore in high school. When he arrived at Oklahoma this past summer, he weighed in at 318 pounds, and has since lost another 20 since.

Gallon has always been big, weighing in at 12 pounds, 11 ounces as a newborn.

In the Oklahoma media guide, the Vallejo, Calif. native lists his interests/hobbies as sleeping, and says his favorite food is Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.

Gallon isn't just a big body, he's a big talent. As a senior at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, the communications major was a blue-chip recruit and a McDonald's All-American.

No word on where Burger King had him ranked.

Injury gives fans glimpse at rare talent

Bad luck for San Diego guard Brandon Johnson was good fortune for fans of this year's Shootout.

In just his eighth game of the 2008-09 season, Johnson suffered an injury to his Achilles' tendon, ending his senior season nearly as soon as it had begun. That was a major disappointment for the Toreros, who reached the second round of the 2008 NCAA tourney with an upset win over Connecticut behind 18 points from Johnson.

Johnson was granted a fifth year of eligibility, meaning Anchorage fans have a chance to see the 6-foot ball of fire in action.

In his Seawolves debut, Johnson didn't disappoint, scoring 18 first-half points to lead his squad to a win over No. 25 Oklahoma. He was the game's most electric player, flying around the court to make big plays time and again for San Diego.

Johnson estimated he's at about 80 percent back to where he was before the injury.

"It'll take time, but I've just gotta keep working at it," he said.

If Johnson ever reaches 100 percent, his foes in the West Coast Conference could be in big trouble.

Mark Drake cashing in

Former Seawolf star Mark Drake is heading to Reno as soon as the Shootout is complete.

Drake, a standout guard for the Seawolves from 2001-05, is leaving his job as sports director for KIMO-13.

After doing play-by-play for one final UAA game simulcast on KCFT TV and KAFC 93.7, Drake will leave on Monday for a job with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League.

Drake will do play-by-play for the Bighorns and help run the front office for the club.

He leaves Monday and will call his first game on Dec. 4. The Bighorns first game is Saturday, but Drake requested that his new employers wait for him to arrive until after the Shootout was over.

"It's a great way to go out, doing the Shootout," Drake said.

Drake has fond memories of the Shootout. He had 23 points in a contest against Furman as a senior, leading a charge from a 20-point deficit before the Seawolves eventually lost by a point. He was named the Player of the Game for that contest.

"The snow yesterday was kind of convenient," Drake said. "One last little hurrah there."

At the end of his career Drake held UAA records for 3-pointers made (243) and free-throw percentage (.885) and was seventh on the career scoring list with 1,173 points.

Fans interested in listening to Drake's calls can still find him at www.renobighorns.com

Women's records

UAA set three tournament records during its run to a fourth consecutive Shootout title.

The Seawolves set the mark for fewest points allowed in a four-team tournament, allowing 95 points in wins over Coastal Carolina and Cincinatti. The stalwart defensive effort broke the mark of 97 points allowed by Stanford in 2004.

UAA also set records for most 3-pointers made (19) and attempted (50) in a four-team Shootout.

Coastal Carolina tied the record for most free throw attempts with 55 trips to the line in the tournament.