Anchorage Daily News

When the basketball team from Russian Mission wants to shoot baseline jumpers, it packs up and leaves town. When it wants a home-court advantage, it heads to Emmonak, about 150 air miles away.

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It's not that the Raiders don't feel at home at home. It's just that home is so tiny the players get a better workout playing Wii than playing a full-court game at the high school.

The gym at the Lower Yukon River school measures 42 feet by 26 feet. For perspective, consider that when Sullivan Arena is split into two courts for this week's state basketball tournaments, each court will measure 84x50.

For more perspective, consider that a half-court shot at Russian Mission is only a foot or two longer than a 3-point shot anywhere else. And there's simply no such thing as a 3-pointer from the baseline: With just 26 feet to work with, the hoop hangs about 13 feet from each sideline.

"They could've made the court wider," coach Arthur Vaska said, "but they wanted a Head Start room.

"We've never had any home games," he added. "We never get to shoot from the baseline. We hardly run any plays because we run out of room. Mostly we shoot jumpers and run lines so they get their running in."

Such is life at Alaska's smallest schools.

Class 1A teams -- those with 50 or fewer kids in the high school -- figure out how to make the most of their resources, whether the challenge is a tiny gymnasium or a small enrollment.

Despite their pint-sized court and a schedule filled with road games, the Raiders compiled a 16-9 record this season to win a ticket to the Class 1A state tournament. Among their wins are a couple from a tournament in Emmonak, about 200 miles downriver and 150 miles by air. Russian Mission has won the Emmonak tournament twice in the last five seasons, "so it seems like a home court," Vaska said.

Last year, the Nunamiut Wolves from Anaktuvuk Pass won the Class 1A girls state championship with a grand total of five players. No substitutes, no role players, no bench time for the player who picks up three quick fouls.

Nobody comes to town this year with just five players, but the Fort Yukon boys list only six on their roster and the girls from both Huslia and Kiana list only seven.

The small schools hit the big stage today when the Class 1A and Class 2A tournaments begin at Sullivan Arena.

This is Alaska's version of March madness, and certain elements are indeed insane -- like the sheer amount of basketball that will be played between now and Saturday.

Action begins at 8 this morning and won't end until sometime around 11 tonight.

The arena will be divided in half by a heavy curtain, so two games can be played at once. Otherwise, there's no way today's 16 first-round games could be played at the same site on the same day.

The Togiak Huskies are among those playing an 8 a.m. game today, and they've been preparing with that in mind. Besides running laps and going through lay-up drills, practice for the girls this week includes wake-up calls that get earlier with each day.

"Yesterday it was 7 o'clock," sophomore Whitney Carlos said Monday after a brief practice at UAA. "Today it was 6:30. Tomorrow it will be 6."

Come Thursday, the small schools will crown their champions and Alaska's large schools -- those in the Class 3A and Class 4A classifications -- will join the party.

The large schools play through Saturday, and by the time the madness ends, 88 games will have been played and eight state champions crowned.

Find Beth Bragg online at adn.com/contact/bbragg or call 257-4309.

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