The UAA men's basketball team was picked to finish second this season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, according to the GNAC coaches' poll.
UAA garnered one first-place vote, the rest of which went to top-ranked Seattle Pacific. UAA received 86 points to Seattle Pacific's 99 and two-time defending GNAC and NCAA Div. II champion Western Washington is third on the poll with 80 points.
UAA is coming of an 18-9 season and third-place finish in the GNAC. Starters Kyle Fossman, Colton Lauwers, Teancum Stafford and Christian Leckband have all returned to play for UAA, which began official practices Tuesday.
Fans can get a look at the Seawolves in an alumni exhibition game Oct., 25 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex at 6 p.m. UAA will hit the road early next month for exhibition games against Brigham Young and the Master's College.
Walk-on joins UAA
The UAA men's basketball team filled its final roster spot Tuesday, bolstering its back court with walk-on guard DeVante Baisa.
The 5-foot-10, 160-pounder from Tracy, Calif., was a team captain and MVP the past two seasons at Kimball High School. He averaged 16.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.1 steals and set school single-game records with 31 points, seven 3-pointers and 12 assists.
"DeVante is a young player who brings depth to our backcourt," said UAA coach Rusty Osborne. "He can play point guard and shooting guard, and once he adjusts to the speed and physical play at this level, he has the potential to help us."
Anchorage Daily News