Meet the new-look Seawolves men’s basketball team

Much like two years ago, the UAA men's basketball team is trying to find its groove early this season with a completely new team.

In 2015, a Suki Wiggs-led Seawolves squad with five new starters started 1-2 before finishing the season 21-11.

This season, not only are Wiggs and his 24.4 points per game gone, but the Seawolves return one player who logged minutes last season — sophomore forward Curtis Ryan.

Of UAA's 12 players last season, seven exhausted their eligibility, two (Gus Simmers and Jackson McTier) quit basketball to focus on academics, two (Damien Fulp and Ashton Pomrehn) transferred and one, junior forward Sjur Berg, went back to his native Norway to deal with a family issue. UAA coach Rusty Osborne said Berg is expected to return next season.

A trio of senior transfers from the University of the Pacific — forward Jacob Lampkin, guard D.J. Ursery and guard Maleke Haynes — are emerging as UAA's biggest playmakers.

Osborne said the three came to UAA after second-year Pacific coach Damon Stoudamire decided he wanted to use his scholarships on his own recruits.

"They were playing for their third coach in three years and the current coach there decided that he wanted to get his own players in there," Osborne said. "We're excited to have those three guys for their talent, but it also helps us balance out our classes."

Going into this week's GCI Great Alaska Shootout, Lampkin was averaging a double-double of 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds and Ursery was second on the team with 13.0 points and 4.8 rebounds.

Here's a closer look at UAA's 12 active players. Three others are redshirting: freshmen Alex Adams, Ryan Trailer and Austin White, all of Alaska.

Jacob Lampkin, 6-9, senior forward

A former high school teammate of Wiggs at O'Dea High in Seattle, Lampkin's task this season is to help replace the production of graduated center Connor Devine.

"Jacob scored 18 against Gonzaga last season," Osborne said. "He was 9 of 11 from the field. He's a very good post player at that (Division I) level, so he'll be a very good post player for us."

D.J. Ursery, 6-4, senior guard

Ursery served as Pacific's sixth man last season, averaging 6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

"D.J. is a long athlete, who can attack the basket and disrupt defensively," Osborne said. "It's something we haven't had a whole lot of lately."

Maleke Haynes, 5-10, senior guard

A traditional point guard, Haynes showed he can be clutch when he sank a go-ahead 3-pointer in the waning seconds of UAA's 70-69 win over Antelope Valley on Nov. 4. Through UAA's first five games, he averaged 4.4 assists per game.

"Maleke Haynes is a true point guard," Osborne said. "… He's a winner."

Malik Clements, 6-3, junior guard

After taking a year off with a knee injury, Clements transferred to UAA from Division I North Dakota State.

"He wasn't disgruntled, he was just looking for a different experience and we happened to be in the right place at the right time," Osborne said. "He averaged 6.3 points and started 10 games for a North Dakota State team that was one win from going to the NCAA Tournament two years ago, so we're excited about Malik."

Josiah Wood, 6-5, junior guard/forward

At 6-5, Wood is one of UAA's most versatile players with the ability to play four positions. His father, David Wood, played nine seasons in the NBA from 1988-97.

"He comes from a basketball family and we're excited about Josiah not only for his skill, but his versatility also, and his size."

Brennan Rymer, 6-0, freshman guard

Rymer, of Sydney, Australia, is just a freshman but he comes with experience gained from playing for the North Sydney Bears on a national circuit in Australia. He was coached in high school by former Seawolf point guard Steve White.

Jack Macdonald, 6-0, freshman guard

UAA's other Aussie comes to UAA after a year at Ohlone College in Fremont, California, where he averaged 10.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists.

Curtis Ryan, 6-9, sophomore forward

The only player to log minutes for UAA last season, Ryan looks to improve on his 1.4 points and 1.0 rebounds per game during an injury-hampered freshman season in which he averaged 5.1 minutes in 14 games.

Drew Peterson, 6-3, senior guard

Peterson is back in action after redshirting last season. He scored in double figures three times and made 23 of 46 3-pointers in 27 games during the 2015-16 season.

Brian Pearson, 6-9, junior forward

Like Peterson, Pearson redshirted last season and he's back with a new look. Pearson is down to 222 pounds from 250 two years ago, when he was buried on UAA's depth chart and averaged only 0.6 points and 1 rebound in 21 games.

"He's much more athletic than he was and much more confident," Osborne said.

Kylan Osborne, 6-0, freshman guard

Osborne's son, Kylan had a big senior season at Dimond High, helping the Lynx to the Class 4A state title. He showed his solid shooting chops in the state title game when he nailed a go-ahead 3-pointer with one minute left and added a steal and two free throws in the closing seconds in a 50-46 win over Wasilla.

"We wouldn't have him on the team just to be around me," Osborne said. "He's earned his way on the team with what he did last year. I think he has a tremendous ceiling."

Eric Jenkins, 6-5, freshman forward

Another member of Dimond's championship squad, Jenkins averaged team highs of 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds as a senior last season.

He's working on improving his perimeter game for UAA since he was primarily an inside player at Dimond, Osborne said.