UAA's men's basketball team voted junior Travis Thompson as the MVP at Friday's banquet. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 21.3 points per game, second-best in the Great Athletic Northwest Conference and 25th among all NCAA Division II players. A first-team all-GNAC selection, Thompson reached double figures in 28 of 30 games this season, scoring 30 or more points six times.
A Dimond grad, Thompson's 3.6 treys per game ranks sixth in Division II. Other top-40 national ranks include his .892 free-throw percentage (19th) and 3-pointer percentage of .421 (36th).
UAA's lone four-year senior Kyle Fossman earned the most inspirational and Jim Hajdukovich awards. The Haines product averaged 17 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
Fossman owns UAA and GNAC records for most 3-pointers in a single game, 12, and season, 113. Fossman's 257 career treys is also a UAA record.
For the past two seasons, Fossman played more than 35 minutes per game, which earned him the Hajdukovich honor, presented for toughness and endurance.
UAA's other senior, Colton Lauwers, received the most improved award. The 6-foot-3 Dimond graduate played every position and was the Seawolves' third-leading rebounder (3.9 per game) and fifth-leading scoring (7 points per game).
Junior Teancum Stafford earned the Bob Zundel Rebounders and academic achievement awards. Stafford averaged a team-leading 7 boards per game in addition to 13 points per game. A transfer student from Snow (Utah) College, Stafford maintained a 4.0 GPA through his first three semesters at UAA and will graduate in May with a psychology degree.
Soldotna's Boomer Blossom received the best defensive player award for an incredible 27-to-1 assist-turnover ratio and finished the season with 20 consecutive error-free games.
Anchorage Daily News