Three UAA players — including one coming off a redshirt season — were among 16 named to the preseason all-conference team in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Travis Thompson of Anchorage, who returns as a junior after redshirting last season, is on the team along with unanimous picks Kyle Fossman of Haines and Teancom Stafford of Auburn, Wash.
The team was selected by the league's 10 head coaches.
No other team landed more than three players on the team. Two schools — Seattle Pacific and Central Washington — matched UAA's three picks.
Fossman, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior guard, was a first-team GNAC pick last season, and Stafford, a 6-5, 205-pound junior swingman, was a second-team pick while helpung the Seawolves to an 18-9 record.
The sharp-shooting Fossman led UAA in scoring with 14.8 points per game and ranked in the top five in the GNAC in a number of statistical categories, including 3-pointers per game (2.6), 3-point percentage (44.5) and free throw percentage (85.4).
Stafford averaged 14.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists and scored in double figures in 22 of his 26 appearances.
Thompson, a 6-1, 195-pound guard, was a second-team GNAC pick two seasons ago as a sophomore. A Dimond grad, he's a dangerous 3-point shooter (47.6 percent) who helped UAA to a 23-7 record and a second-round playoff berth.
UAA plays the annual Seawolf Alumni on Oct. 25 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
GNAC preseason all-conference team
* David Downs, Seattle Pacific; * Mark McLaughlin, Central Washington; * Richard Woodworth, Western Washington; * Kyle Fossman, UAA; * Patrick Simon, Seattle Pacific; * Teancum Stafford, UAA; * Sergej Pucar, UAF (C, 6-11, Sr., Belgrade, Serbia); * Kevin Rima, Northwest Nazarene; *Austin Bragg, Western Washington; Travis Thompson, UAA; Andy Avgi, Western Oregon; Riley Stockton, Seattle Pacific; JB Pillard, Central Washington; Kevin Davis, Central Washington; Kalob Hatcher, MSU Billings; David Gebru, Simon Fraser. (* Unanimous)
Anchorage Daily News