Bowling Green State University Athletics
Alaskan Life At Top Of the World
November 14, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 14, 2001
By DAN JOLING
Associated Press Writer
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - The basketball comes with a bonus - some time on the curling rink and a ride in a snowmobile or the basket of a dog sled.
The Top of the World Classic begins Thursday, an eight-team tournament in which Fairbanks families give players the chance to absorb local culture.
"This tournament is run by the community," said Al Sokaitis, coach of Alaska Fairbanks. "It's what the people of Fairbanks do."
Bowling Green meets Mississippi on Thursday night, and Butler plays Radford on Friday.
Mississippi reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament last year and has played in the postseason the last five years. During that stretch, Mississippi has won more Southeastern Conference games than any team besides Kentucky.
Last year, the Rebels won a school-record 27 games and Rod Barnes was named Naismith Coach of the Year.
"We're young, we're inexperienced, we don't have great size," Barnes said, adding his players expect big things. "Level of confidence won't be a problem."
Barnes likes playing early in a tournament setting in which his players will see different styles of play and can concentrate solely on basketball for a week.
"Our basketball team will come together more," Barnes said. "The bonding process will help the basketball team."
Ole Miss returns 6-foot-8 power forward Justin Reed, the SEC Freshman of the Year, and guard David Sanders.
Bowling Green comes back with eight of its nine top scorers on a team that went 15-14. Guard Keith McLeon averaged just more than 18 points and ranked among Mid-American Conference leaders in field goal percentage, assists, steals and free throw percentage.
Washington and Alaska Fairbanks meet in the tournament's first game Thursday.
The Huskies, coming off consecutive 10-20 seasons, lost five seniors and nine of the 15 players on the roster have never suited up for a game. Division II Alaska Fairbanks was 10-17 last year and just five players return.
Butler features a new coach in former player Todd Lickliter. Butler advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, beating Wake Forest before falling to runner-up Arizona. The Bulldogs won consecutive titles in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference, now the Horizon Conference, and is favored to repeat.
Butler returns point guard Thomas Jackson, the league's preseason Player of the Year.
Radford finished 19-10 and just missed the NCAA tournament with an overtime loss in the Big South Conference finals. The Highlanders are led by 6-11 Russian Andrey Savtchenko.
Also Friday, Delaware meets Wichita State.
Delaware was 20-10 a year ago and runner-up in the America East Conference. The Blue Hens have joined the Colonial Athletic Conference. They lose three starters and have no seniors on a team that will turn to guard Austen Rowlan and forward Maurice Sessoms.
Wichita State finished ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference, 9-19 overall and winless away from home. The Shockers return scoring leader Terrell Benton but will have eight new faces.
