Seawolf signee Fossman named 2010 Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year

UAA's men's basketball signee Kyle Fossman was named the 2010 Gatorade Alaska Player of the Year March 18, following on the heels of his outstanding performance in the ASAA Class 3A State Championships.

The 6-1, 190-pound guard averaged 26.7 points, 6.6 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game to lead Haines High School to its second state title in three seasons. In Wednesday's championship game, Fossman netted 23 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and five steals - including the game-clincher in the final seconds - in a 46-45 win over Nome.

Fossman was the Alaska 3A Player of the Year as a sophomore when he led Haines to its first-ever state title in 2008.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner - regardless of school classification - in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states in several high school sports. Fossman is the first player from Haines to win the prestigious honor.

"Kyle's selection as Gatorade Player of the Year simply confirms what we already knew - that he is a terrific all-around talent and an outstanding young man," said UAA head coach Rusty Osborne. "In addition to his basketball exploits, he also earned a 4.0 GPA in the classroom this year and has been involved in his community."

"We are also very encouraged by the play of our other early signee, Travis Thompson, this season. Even with his recent injury, he proved what a tough, multi-dimensional player he can be. We are extremely excited to have him and Kyle for the next four years."

Thompson, a senior at Anchorage's Dimond High School, was selected recently as the Alaska Newspapers Inc./Alaska Coaches Class 4A Player of the Year. Also a 6-1 guard, he led the defending state-champion Lynx back to the state tournament despite suffering a season-ending broken finger in the Cook Inlet Conference semifinals.