Wednesday, September 1, 2021

INDIANAPOLIS – Alaska Anchorage head men’s basketball coach Rusty Osborne has been selected to serve as chair of the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Committee for the 2021-22 season.

“I am honored to serve as the chair for the committee this year,” Osborne said. “We have a very dedicated and professional group of coaches and administrators who work diligently to represent Division II men’s basketball. It is an exciting time as we move back into more normal routines and schedules.”

In his role as chair, Osborne will lead a group that is responsible for the successful execution of the Division II Men’s Basketball Championship. The committee develops policies and procedures to administer the championship in an efficient and orderly manner. Committee members also chair the regional advisory committees (RAC), oversee selections to national championships and serve as the NCAA representative during preliminary-round competition and championship finals.

This is Osborne’s fourth and final year as a member of the Division II Men’s Basketball Committee. His term expires in August 2022.

“Our challenge this year will be to seamlessly transition back into our traditional ranking and selection process and be diligent in finding the 64 most deserving programs to compete for the eight spots in Evansville in March 2022,” Osborne said.

Osborne is in his 31st year at Alaska Anchorage and is entering his 18th year as head coach. During his tenure, the Seawolves have compiled 14 winning seasons and five NCAA Championships appearances. Osborne led UAA to the GNAC championship, the NCAA West Regional championship and an appearance in the Division II national semifinals in 2007-08. Before being named head coach, Osborne was an assistant coach for the Seawolves for 13 seasons.

Osborne’s coaching resume includes three seasons as an assistant at Division I Southwest Texas State. Before moving into the college ranks, Osborne worked for one year as Hyde Park Baptist High School in Austin, Texas, where he led the team to a 36-8 record and a Texas state title.