Colony senior to play at UAA

PALMER — Alex Coon capped her junior season of basketball by celebrating with teammates on the hardwood of the Sullivan Arena after she helped lead the Colony Knights to the 2008 4A state title.

Ideally, the Colony High School senior would like to end her high school career in the same way. But regardless, Coon has ensured herself the chance of taking the court at the Sullivan Arena after her work at the prep level is done.

On Thursday, Coon signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball at the University of Alaska Anchorage next season.

“I’m excited. I love the school, I love the coach,” Coon said after she officially inked her intent in a gathering in the CHS library that included her coaches, teammates, friends and family.

The Anchorage program’s recent success was a draw, the 5-foot-10 forward said. UAA is the two-time defending champion of the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout women’s tournament, an event held each November at the Sullivan Arena.

UAA is currently ranked fifth in the nation at the Division II level and has been picked by Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches as the favorite to win the GNAC title.

Last season, the Seawolves finished as the GNAC runner-up and played their way into the NCAA Division II semifinals.

Third-year head coach Tim Moser is credited with turning the Seawolf program into a national power, and Coon said she’s thrilled to have the chance to play for a coach of that caliber.

“He’s a great coach,” Coon said. “He’s the kind of coach I wanted to play for.”

Coon also explored a few other schools — a list that included Colorado Christian and Linfield (Ore.) — but said the thought of playing close to home became more attractive as she worked closer to making her decision.

“The last year I realized I wanted to play in front of my family,” she said. “There’s opportunity for people to come to watch me in Alaska where as in the Lower 48, not so many people could.”

Coon, the youngest of five siblings, is the second member of her family to earn the chance to play college basketball. Coon’s older brother Jon, a Colony High alum and graduate of the United States Naval Academy, is also a veteran of college basketball and has become sort of a basketball mentor to his younger sister.

“He’s definitely been a big influence,” Coon said.

Coon has played organized basketball most of her life, and said it’s long been her goal to compete on the collegiate level.

“I’ve always known that I wanted to play college basketball,” Coon said.

Coon, an all-state forward in 2008, was the primary presence in the paint during the Knights’ state title run. Despite not being as tall as some of her counterparts, Coon — who was listed as 5-9 as a junior — has consistently been a threat to lead her team in team in scoring and rebounding.

“I wasn’t blessed with height, so I’ve had to work my way around it,” Coon said with a smile.

Coon said she’ll enter the UAA program as a power forward, but the UAA coaching staff expressed an interest in playing her at small forward later in her career.

“He said he’s going to play me at (power forward) and then move me to (small forward) when I get older,” Coon said.

Coon may have to get comfortable with moving further from the paint, but it’s not something she’s necessarily worried about as a high school senior.

“This year I just want to do what’s best for my team and it’s best for my team to stay inside,” Coon said. “I want to win.”

Coon will join a UAA program that already includes four Alaska players.

Former East Anchorage standout Jazzie Gaddy, who shared first-team all-state honors with Coon last season, is a freshman.

Freshmen Alysa Horn (Kodiak) and Jordan Martin (East), and junior Sarah Herrin (Nikiski) are redshirts.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.