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Thomas
McIntyre
A look into the 2013-14 Seawolf mens basketball team
The basketball season is here. Despite a subpar finish, the Seawolf mens team is coming off a hot run in 2012-13,
which included a stellar showing at the Great Alaska Shootout and a 14-3 record at home.
On paper, the team has a strong enough build to mirror last years performance. If all goes well, they could
realistically surpass it.
These are three decisive factors heading into the next hoops campaign.

Loaded backcourt
The three most important pieces for the Seawolves live in the backcourt senior Kyle Fossman and juniors Teancum
Stafford and Travis Thompson. All three guards were selected to the GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team. And
UAAs place at second in the preseason GNAC coaches poll is largely a result of that trio.
Thompson is returning to the team after taking a year off from basketball to focus on school. He and Fossman are a
lot like. They can play both the guard spots, and theyre accurate shooters from everywhere on the floor. Thompsons
edge as a passer will lock him in as the point in most lineups.
Stafford is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard/small forward hybrid. He can stretch the court and score from inside.
Thompsons return could create endless looks for Stafford from the corner, which is a deadly proposition.
Fossman and Stafford were superb last year. Their efforts as scorers hasnt truly been appreciated, though.
What made these two so special was their efficiency. Simply put, they were stupid efficient. Usage rate (percentage of
offensive possessions used by a player during his time on the floor) is a nice stat that can be used to back this up.
Usage is not perfect its main flaw being that it doesnt cover assists. But in this situation, it tells us enough.
Fossman closed last season with a usage rate of 17.9 percent, while Staffords was 15.98 percent. These two
percentages are slightly below the general average a player uses (about 19 percent). So, using less than the average
percent of possessions, Fossman and Stafford each produced over 14 points per game.
To hammer this home, heres Abebe Demissies usage rate from last season: 22.10 percent. He averaged eight
points.
Theres a very obvious argument that can made from this data: Fossman and Stafford should shoot more. Even with
Thompson coming back who is also quite efficient those two have a real case for deserving a bigger chunk of the
pie.

Departed size
Losing center Liam Gibcus and forward Abebe Demissie will create a void in the Seawolves frontcourt. Some of the
incoming players who are mentioned in the next section could fill that space, but nothing is certain.
While Demissies shortcomings were noted earlier, he was a gritty role player who brought an edgy presence to the
court. The Wolves will miss his Joker capabilities on defense (able to match up with multiple positions) and reliable
three-point shot.
Gibcus leaves the largest hole. He ended 2013 with a total rebound percentage barely under 17. This means that,
during his time on the court, he was responsible for 17 percent of the teams total rebounds. Thats a high number
considering how balanced the average rebounding stats were per player.
Two other strengths Gibcus brought were his sure hands and efficient scoring. He had the seventh most turnovers on
the team. For a big that saw plenty of touches on the block and off rolls, thats a win. His 58 percent shooting from the
field made him an extra reliable player.

New blood
The Seawolves realized their need, and recruited wisely. Four of the new additions stand at least 6-foot-7. You can
teach many things, but size isnt one of them. Making these bodies count will be the coaching staffs challenge.
In a previous TNL article, we ran down some of the guys who are debuting for the Wolves down low. Jackson McTier,
Brad Mears, Jacob Craft and Kalidou Diouf (redshirting) all bring their own qualities to the table.
McTier and Mears are the most enticing prospects, and should see the most floor time, rounding out the frontcourt
alongside sophomore forward Christian Leckband.
McTier measures in at 6-foot-8 and averaged 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds as a high school senior. Mears is an inch
taller, and is finally getting a chance to spread his wings after sitting behind a top conference player at Snow College.
The final move came a couple weeks ago when head coach Rusty Osborne announced the addition of DeVante
Baisa. Baisa is a balanced guard from Tracy, Calif., who averaged 16.3 points, 5.2 assists and 3.1 steals as a high
school senior. Hell create even more depth at the guard spot.
Getting serviceable basketball from the crop of UAA rookies is key. Given the group of studs still wearing green and
gold, there wont be any pressure for a hero to emerge.
The Seawolves start regular season play at the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic down in Anaheim, Calif. from Nov. 8-
10. Theyll open at home with the AT&T Jamboree Nov. 15-16 at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.

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