Alaska Anchorage On The Rise

Coach and star player help UAA gain some national recognition

Dec. 5, 2007

By Stephen Zerdelian

Special to CSTV.com

It's easy to sometimes forget that quality basketball is played all over the map and not just in recognized places dotted across the nation. For those located in the continental United States, Alaska falls into just such a category, but it would be quite an omission to overlook what's going on in Anchorage. That's where Tim Moser's club, the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, are doing some eye-opening work. UAA posted a 23-6 mark in 2006-07, the second best in school history (UAA went 24-5 in 1987-88) -- but maybe not for long.

This edition of the Seawolves, ranked No. 5 in the most recent Coaches Poll, already has two Division I scalps to their credit, as well as knocking off a Pac-10 foe Washington State in an exhibition game. Clearly, UAA has what it takes to contend for regional and national honors this year but Moser is not thinking long-term, only on a daily basis.

"Realistically we are just trying to get better every day in practice," said the former UAA player and second-year Seawolves coach. "Our league and region gets tougher all the time, so it's a matter of doing what we can to compete at that level."

No doubt the Seawolves (7-0) can do so, as evidenced by their success at the annual Great Alaska Shootout just before Thanksgiving. Victories over Cleveland State (80-72 in overtime) and Santa Clara (52-50) meant host UAA picked up the tournament hardware for the second consecutive campaign and should give the team plenty of confidence to embark on their Great Northwest Athletic Conference slate.

"The league has gotten much more difficult to play in every year, especially teams like Seattle Pacific and Western Washington, who do a tremendous job year after year," offered Moser, whose team was chosen to finish second in the GNAC this term, in between Seattle Pacific and Western Washington. "Seattle University is a hard-nosed team, Western Oregon will be better and Montana State University-Billings joins the league, adding even more depth to it. It's a challenge each night but we look forward to it."

With the ammunition Moser has to deploy plenty of teams will be wary of the Seawolves, too. Four key players from last year's squad, which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, are back and leading the effort this winter. Seniors Maria Nilsson, Kalhie Quinones and Jennifer Salazar are the bedrocks of the team and offer scoring, versatile play and leadership. Newcomers such as 5-foot-10 Ruby Williams, a transfer from Phoenix, and Dasha Basova, a 6-foot-3 junior transfer originally from Moscow, Russia, are bedding in to create a versatile and effective team. But the gemstone of the team is 6-foot-2 junior Rebecca Kielpinski, a powerful and talented post player who hails from Mandan, North Dakota.

Moser calls Kielpinski, who is averaging 11.6 points, 8.3 boards and is shooting 54 percent from the field thus far this season in only 22 minutes of action per contest, the best player he has ever coached.

"She could be the best player in Alaska Anchorage history by the time her career is over. Rebecca does everything well - post play, passing, outlets - you name it. She sees the floor really well and is such a selfless team player, we have to push her sometimes to be more assertive and score more," says Moser. "That being said, Rebecca's defense is the most impressive aspect of her game. She's the focal point of the team at both ends and to have a good core of players around her helps all of us. We're blessed to have a young lady like this with us."

So how does a North Dakota native end up in Alaska? As Kielpinski herself mentions, all it took was one trip and she was sold.

"My high school coach was on a plane with [former UAA head coach] Jody Hensen and sent tapes along for Hensen to see other players," said Kielpinski. "But coach Hensen showed interest in me immediately and when I eventually took a visit, I fell in love with the school and the area, and I knew it was the place for me."

Entering this season, Kielpinski was 56 points away from 1,000 (she hit the milestone in a recent game against Chaminade) and could threaten the all-time Seawolf record of 2,237, held by Robin Graul (Class of 1989). She's also on track to record over 1,000 rebounds, which would put her acres ahead of any other UAA player in history (Wendy Sturgis holds the mark at 756, less than 200 more than Kielpinski had accumulated by the start of the campaign).

Kielpinski certainly has the background to excel at the college level. Her entire family has roots in basketball. Her father, Mark - who stands 6-foot-8 - played at the University of Mary (ND), her mother, Nancy, played as a youngster, her younger brother, Bryan, 15, stands 6-foot-8 also, and her sister, Jessica, is a 6-foot-2 freshman at the University of New Mexico, averaging about  six points per game so far this year.

"We always were playing together at home, which was a lot of fun," says Kielpinski. "It was a natural activity for us, and just a great way to spend time together."

She's not sure about continuing her playing days after college but the focus career-wise is clear to her.

"The goal for me is to be a teacher, no doubt. As an elementary education major, that's what I want to do. But if the chance comes to play after graduation, I might think about it," Kielpinski added.

Upon taking over prior to last season, Moser had to, in effect, re-recruit Kielpinski. Whatever he said worked, and with Kielpinski (the 2006-07 GNAC Player of the Year) leading the way, UAA enjoyed a 10-win gain and reached the NCAAs for the first time since 2000. It was no illusion, either, as the Seawolves beat Air Force, 62-60, (Kielpinski submitted 16 points and 12 rebounds) and UC Riverside, 72-67, (an 18-point, 13-board effort from Kielpinski) in last year's Great Alaska Shootout to get things off to a good start. It all culminated in an NCAA trip and a 49-48 victory against Cal State-Dominguez Hills before eventual Final Four team UC San Diego ended the fun, 66-51. The experience is a motivating force for both player and coach this year.

"It was a great learning experience for us, and now we have an idea of what to expect if we get into that environment again," said Kielpinski, who scored 23 points and canned the winning shot with .04 to play against Santa Clara during the Shootout. "It's really something for us to shoot for as the season goes on."

"Last year we really didn't know what to expect in the tournament. UCSD was the best team there but we felt with time we could reach that level. It's not something we as a team or as a coaching staff think about, the focus is on daily events," says Moser, echoing Kielpinski's feelings.

Moser's path (back) to Alaska was a bit more circuitous than Kielpinski's. After a playing career in the Seawolves' Green and Gold, he spent a number of years coaching both men's and women's basketball at Otero Junior College in Colorado. Success was the order of the day on and off the floor there for Moser, who posted a combined 309-109 record over the years on the court with both teams, winning a cumulative nine league titles and nine Coach of the Year awards. (Oh, and he did win GNAC Coach of the Year in 2006-'07, in case you were wondering). In addition, he produced 15 Academic All-Americans and 52 Academic All-Region performers, highlighting a proud tradition in the classroom.

It wasn't necessarily his intention to return to Anchorage while at Otero JC but when the opportunity presented itself, Moser decided it was time to move on.

"We have a good market here in Anchorage with strong crowd support, so it was an attractive place for me to return to," Moser offers. "The area has a lot of good high school players which we are trying to make work for us."

Recruiting can be quite a test for Moser and his staff.

"It takes a special kid to come here and play," he said. "We look for players who can handle it and show the toughness, mentally and physically, to play in this environment."

With nine states and three countries (Israel, Sweden and Russia) represented on the roster, they've clocked up more than a few miles in the air and on the ground. But the results are confirmation that the heavy travel is worth the time and hassle. They may have made a local breakthrough recently, signing 5-foot-10 Anchorage East High School senior Jazzie Gaddy, so maybe the frequent flyer miles won't be quite as prevalent as they have been.

In the long run, UAA's depth and talent should see them advance deep into the post-season, possibly to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in March. Not that Moser is taking anything for granted.

"We're simply trying to get this team to play together on a consistent basis, to band as a group and play for each other," he said. "If we can do that, then we'll see what happens."

Call it coach-speak or realism, if you wish but Moser has an idea of how good his team is and, more importantly, how good it could become. The humble, steady path is the one he (and Kielpinski) have adopted when discussing the rest of the season, which makes sense. If they can realize their immense potential, Alaska Anchorage could be scary-good. Even if they fall short of that lofty perch, this is one team to keep tabs on all winter.