UAA Athletics

All in the family: Dimond basketball standout Osborne will play for dad at UAA

Kylan Osborne of Dimond will be the first UAA athlete to play for a parent when he joins the UAA men's basketball team and coach Rusty Osborne, his father, this fall.

Kylan, who helped lead the Lynx to a state title in the spring, signed his National Letter of Intent on Monday to round out Rusty's recruiting class.

"It can be tough for kids to play for their parents, so I know this was a difficult decision for Kylan," Rusty said in a news release. "However, as a father, I look forward to being around him every day for the next 4-5 years and helping him reach his goals.

"This is only happening because our entire staff believes he has great potential to help the program."

Osborne, a first-team All-Cook Inlet Conference selection as a senior, joins former Dimond teammate Eric Jenkins and state Gatorade Player of the Year Austin White of Ninilchik to give the Seawolves three Alaskans in the recruiting class.

Osborne averaged 10.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 3.0 steals last season, when he earned all-tournament honors at the Soldotna Invitational and the Capitol City Classic, plus selection to the postseason AABC All-Star Game.

He came up clutch in Dimond's state championship win, sinking a go-ahead 3-pointer with one minute remaining. He also produced a steal and nailed two free throws in the game's final five seconds.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Kylan is a late bloomer physically and we feel that he will continue to fill out and grow with the help of Coach (Ryan) Walsh and our other outstanding strength coaches," Rusty said. "He is a good athlete, has great defensive instincts and has proven to be a clutch shooter.

"His basketball IQ and unselfish attitude will fit in well with our system."

Osborne is the 10th addition to UAA's 2017 recruiting class, joining four Division I transfers — 6-3 guard Malik Clements from North Dakota State and 5-10 guard Maleke Haynes, 6-9 forward Jacob Lampkin and 6-4 guard D.J. Ursery, all from University of the Pacific; two junior college transfers in 6-5 guard Josiah Wood of Butte College and 6-0 guard Jack Macdonald of Ohlone College; and fellow true freshmen Jenkins and White.

ADVERTISEMENT