Men's basketball signs Cikanek and Allen for 2013-14 season
April 18, 2013
Jamie Foland
907-474-6807
University of Alaska Fairbanks head coach Mick Durham announced the Alaska men's basketball team has inked a pair of newcomers to National Letters of Intent. Damon Cikanek (Anchorage, Alaska) and Rashaad Allen (Fairfield, Calif.) will both play for the Nanooks beginning next season.
Cikanek will enter the program as a freshman with four years of athletic eligibility while Allen will have two years of eligibility following two seasons at the junior college level.
A 6-1 guard out of Dimond High School in Anchorage, Cikanek was a 4A First Team All-State honoree for as a senior. He led the team with 19.0 points per game while also averaging 4.0 rebounds per outing.
Following his team's appearance in the Alaska School Activities Association state tournament, he was named to the ASAA Basketball Coaches Senior All-Star Game. As a junior, he was also a starter for Dimond's state championship team.
“Damon comes from one of the best high school programs and coaches in the state at Dimond and coach Rob Galosich,” Durham said. “He's been coached, won a state championship as a junior and his best basketball is ahead of him. He is a classic shooting guard because that's his strength. We're very excited to add a young Alaskan high school player to our program.”
“He's a team player, he cares about his teammates, he's a competitor and has tireless work ethic to get better and his number one thing is winning,” Galosich said. “The fact that Coach Durham can keep Anchorage kids in the state and get them to Fairbanks is good for everybody and Alaska basketball.”
Allen, a 6-1 guard from the College of Marin in Kentfield, Calif., was a two-year letter winner for the Mariners. He was a member of the All-Bay Valley Conference Men's Basketball Team as a sophomore after he averaged 12.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game to lead Marin to a 16-10 record.
He connected on 74 percent of his free throw attempts and was the squad's top perimeter shooter, converting better than 43 percent of his three-point tries. As a collegiate rookie in 2011-12, Allen averaged 5.1 points and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 84 percent from the charity stripe.
“Rashaad brings experience at the guard position and is a very efficient player,” Durham said. “He shoots a good percentage, makes good decisions with the ball and brings energy defensively and rebounding-wise. He will blend in well with our returning perimeter players and add quickness to our team.”
“Not only is he a tough individual physically and mentally, he's just committed to winning and because of that will do whatever it takes to get the job done,” Marin head coach Dave Granucci said. “He's skilled, he can shoot three and is a playmaker as well in terms of getting to the basket. He's worked tremendously on his ball-handling ability and he'll surprise you rebounding offensively because he's so tough. Defensively, I thought he was the best defensive player, perimeter-wise, in our league. He's an all-round player and a gym rat; he loves to be in the gym.”
These two signees join an Alaska team that went 16-12 last season, which included a fourth-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a 10-8 mark. The Nanooks also advanced to post-season play for the first time since 2005, making the semifinals of the GNAC Championship.