Anchorage Daily News

When coaches for the UAA men's basketball team began building this year's team, one of the first players they signed was McCade Olsen.

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Olsen

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The 6-foot-8, 215-pound power forward was a double-double waiting to happen at Eastern Wyoming junior college, where he averaged 21.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

He was expected to put up similar numbers at UAA this season, possibly emerging as an offensive force for a 19-12 team that lost four starters to graduation.

Then Olsen slipped on some ice, and now his shooting shoulder is in a sling.

Olsen, of Riverton, Utah, suffered the injury last week when he slipped on ice while walking to class, landing awkwardly on his right shoulder. He'll be evaluated by a doctor today.

As a result, the promising newcomer will sit out UAA's season-opening series against visiting Lancaster Bible College on Saturday and Sunday. He's also expected to miss a Nov. 10 exhibition at Division I Nevada.

"On paper, it's a big loss," Seawolves head coach Rusty Osborne said Tuesday. "We were expecting him to be one of our main go-to guys."

Olsen, 22, is hoping the injury won't keep him out long. He's wearing a protective sling for comfort because it's painful to move.

The accident happened Thursday night when Olsen was walking to class on a snowy campus trail, stepped on a patch of "black ice" and slammed to the ground.

"My feet went out underneath me, and I landed with my shoulder in front of my chest," Olsen said. "It hurt pretty bad."

Olsen has been hampered by injury since he arrived at UAA. He missed the last two weeks of practice with a groin injury.

"He hasn't had one official day of practice," said Osborne, whose team began practicing Oct. 16. "He got cleared Thursday and later that night he slipped."

UAA has since given Olsen grippers for walking in winter, Osborne said.

"We made sure he got a pair of spikes," the coach said.

Olsen's injury is the second blow the UAA frontcourt has suffered in the last few months. In September, returning junior center Joe Davis was declared academically ineligible. He'll miss at least the nine games of the fall semester.

"You just have to deal with it," Osborne said of the setbacks. "It puts more pressure on the other guys to pick up the pace."

Expect players like returning junior Carl Arts and newcomers Ivan Platenik and Clayton Spencer to get the most post work.

For Olsen, the banged up shoulder is the first significant injury of his career. The fact that it came on the heels of his pulled groin makes him wonder why he can't stay healthy in Alaska.

"It's very frustrating," Olsen said. "I just want to play and it bums me out that I can't."

Seawolves picked third

If the Great Northwest Athletic Conference season ended today, the Seawolves would finish third in the nine-team league.

Or so say the GNAC coaches.

"What really stands out to me is our flexibility," said Osborne, who guided the team to the NCAA Division II Tournament last season.

"This is a very versatile group of players, most of whom can play multiple positions. The key for us this season will be to see how long it takes all of our new guys to come together and gel as a team."

The Seawolves brought in 12 new players -- the largest recruiting class in school history. They also welcome back returners Luke Cooper, Eric Draper, Davis and Arts.

Cooper is arguably the most vital part of the puzzle, having led the GNAC in assists in each of his first two seasons. Last season he compiled 199 assists, one shy of the school's single-season record held by former point guard Bryan Anderson.

Draper, meanwhile, emerged as the GNAC's most dangerous sixth man. Playing behind team scoring leader Kemmy Burgess, Draper averaged 8.6 points in just 13.6 minutes per game. His jumper can be lethal.

Arts, a 6-foot-6 forward, ranked third on last season's team in rebounding at 4.6 per game. He shot 53 percent from the floor, including 16-of-28 (57 percent) from three-point range.

The 6-foot-7, 265-pound Davis is the team's leading returning scorer (11.0 ppg). Currently ineligible, he could return to the lineup for the start of the GNAC season on Jan. 4.

"We've got four guys back that had a lot of success in the league," Osborne said. "With some of the newcomers we added, we feel real confident."

GNAC COACHES POLL 2005-06

Rank, Team, Record, Pts

1) Central Wash. (6) 15-13 82

2) Seattle Pacific (1) 26-6 74

3) UAA (1) 19-12 62

4) Seattle University 16-11 47

5) Western Wash. 23-6 42

6) Saint Martin's 7-20 35

7) UAF 17-10 29

8) NW Nazarene 12-15 26

9) Western Oregon 9-18 17

Note: First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on a 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

Daily News reporter Van Williams can be reached at vwilliams@adn.com or 257-4335.

GAME TIME

SEASON OPENER: The UAA men's basketball team opens the season 7 p.m. Saturday against Lancaster (Pa.) Bible College at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.