Colony graduate’s basketball journey includes stop in Anchorage to play UAA

PALMER — It’s been five years since former Colony High School standout Hunter Eisenhower led the Knights boys’ basketball team to a third-place finish in the 4A state tournament. This week, Eisenhower, a Seattle Pacific University senior, is enjoying another chance to hit the hardwood in his home state.

Eisenhower and the Falcons were in Fairbanks to play the Alaska Nanooks on Thursday. Saturday, Eisenhower and his SPU teammates will be at the Alaska Airlines Center to face the UAA Seawolves at 8 p.m.

“It’s always fun to go up there,” Eisenhower said by phone from Seattle Wednesday morning. “I really look forward to it.”

Eisenhower said he will have friends and family in the stands to watch his final regular season appearance of his career in Anchorage. It’s the second straight year the 2013 graduate of Colony High made the trip to Anchorage with the Falcons. Last year, Eisenhower enjoyed one of the best games of his junior season against the Seawolves. Eisenhower hit a pair of three-pointers and led the Falcons with a dozen points during a loss to UAA.

“Personally, I felt like I played one of my better games. As a team we struggled. We got beat by a really, really good UAA team,” Eisenhower said. “It was my first time playing UAA in Anchorage. It was fun.”

Eisenhower grew up watching UAA play at the Sullivan Arena.

“It was pretty surreal,” Eisenhower said.

Eisenhower will hit the floor Saturday as a reserve on a deep Falcons squad. The 6-foot-5 forward has appeared in 10 of SPU’s 11 games, averaging about 10 minutes per contest.

“I’m happy with my role. I get to contribute,” Eisenhower said.

Eisenhower said the Falcons recently lost a member of their starting five to injury, and that is creating more opportunities for reserves. Eisenhower included. On Dec. 28, Eisenhower had one of his best games of his senior season. Eisenhower scored 16 points, shooting 6 of 8 from the floor and 4 of 5 from beyond the arc. His season best is 17 points against Cal State East Bay early in the season. Heading into the Alaska trip, Eisenhower stood third on the team with 14 three-pointers. He’s shooting 40 percent from three-point range. Regardless, he said, whether he’s knocking down threes or cheering on his teammates, he’s glad to be a part of the program.

“I honestly am happy with the role I’m in right now,” Eisenhower said.

Eisenhower’s road to Seattle Pacific included a few stops along the way. After graduating from Colony in 2013, Eisenhower opted to spend a season with the Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. He spent a year playing basketball at a high level, while going through the recruiting process.

“I’m extremely glad I did it. Not only just for basketball, but the relationships I made that year,” Eisenhower said.

Eisenhower said he formed friendships with players from places like New Zealand, Dubai and China, while playing against some of the top players in the nation.

Eisenhower aspired to play Division I basketball. There were options at that level, but he opted to sign with Division II Chadron State in 2014. After a year in Nebraska, Eisenhower opted to look for an opportunity elsewhere.

“I didn’t think it was the right fit for me personally,” Eisenhower said. “I couldn’t see myself there three to four years.”

Eisenhower opted for a choice a bit more familiar.

Seattle Pacific.

Eisenhower’s older sister, Maci, a former Colony girls’ basketball player, and her husband both graduated from SPU, Eisenhower said. They still live in the area, he’d been to the campus and felt comfortable in Seattle.

“I reached out to the coaches, and they happened to like me,” he said. “It was fortunate that it worked out.”

Eisenhower may not have reached his goal to play Division I basketball, but SPU has led him to the opportunity to work with DI athletes. Eisenhower, an exercise science major, has landed internships with the Seattle University and University of Washington strength and conditioning programs.

“It’s a passion of mine I’ve developed in the past couple years,” Eisenhower said of a career in strength and conditioning.

Eisenhower said, oddly, he never really wanted to coach basketball. But strength and conditioning sparked a real interest. It goes beyond just the sport, he said. The physiology, the biomechanics.

“It’s something that really clicked with me,” Eisenhower said.

Eisenhower has a winter internship at Seattle University. He said he will work with athletes for about four hours, two or three mornings a week. The group includes athletes on the golf, swimming and soccer teams.

During the spring, he has an internship with the University of Washington football team. Eisenhower said he will also start applying for graduate assistant positions at the college level.

Colony head coach Tom Berg, who had Eisenhower for three seasons with the Knights, said he’s excited about Eisenhower’s accomplishments in college and opportunities in the future.

“Hunter has had a very good experience. Lots of good things have happened,” Berg said. “The truth of it is, college basketball for so many is a vehicle that allows you to get your education. Hunter has a really good perspective on that, all that it has allowed him to do. It couldn’t happen to a better kid.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.