newsminer.com

ANCHORAGE — And to think Carl Arts thought pro basketball would be his ticket south. Or east. Or west. Anywhere but north.

But no.

Arts, the Valdez player whose record-setting college career at UAA ended at last year’s NCAA Division II Final Four, embarks on a new path in a very familiar place.

He and the Alaska Dream — the state’s first professional basketball team since the 1977-82 Anchorage Northern Knights of the Continental Basketball Association — open the season with an exhibition tournament at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.

“I thought I was all done,” Arts said of the road trip to Fairbanks, where the Dream will play three exhibition games in the “Dare to Dream” tournament that runs Friday through Sunday.

The tournament opens at 6 p.m. Thursday when the Dream take on the San Francisco Rumble. The Maywood Buzz take on the Las Vegas Aces in the second game at 8:30 p.m.

Saturday’s schedule calls for the Dream to play the Aces at 6 p.m. followed by the game between the Buzz and Rumble at 8:30.

Sunday’s action features the Dream against the Buzz at 3 p.m. and the Aces against the Rumble at 5:30 p.m.

For Arts, the trip north is a return to enemy territory. As a player for the Seawolves, he developed a healthy aversion to the archrival Alaska Nanooks.

For his new coach, Al Sokaitis, it’s a return home. Sokaitis coached the Nanooks for eight seasons, leading the program to respectability after years of struggles. The Nanooks had two winning seasons in the 15 seasons prior to Sokaitis’ arrival; with him, they had four winning seasons, won a pair of conference titles, advanced to the Sweet 16 one season and won the BP Top of the World Classic in 2002.

Now, Sokaitis, who resigned from the the Nanooks job in 2004, is trying out things on the pro level.

The Anchorage-based Dream, which open the regular season Dec. 9 in California and the home season Dec. 15 at Sullivan Arena, are part of the American Basketball Association, a low-level league several steps away from the NBA.

Like many minor leagues, the ABA has a salary cap, “and we’re nowhere near it,” Sokaitis said. Most members of the Dream are earning $200 to $400 a week, meaning many still need day jobs.

“Some are working jobs, some are finishing school, but most are hoping to go on and play,” Sokaitis said. “We’ve got four or five guys that can make pretty good financial careers playing basketball.”

Arts, a 6-foot-6 forward, hopes to be one of them. He hopes his time with the Dream might lead to a contract with a team in Europe, which has leagues that pay well enough there’s no need for day jobs.

Arts said he thought he landed a contract with a Luxemburg team that plays in Germany’s second-tier league, but the deal fell through. The coach wanted him, Arts said, but others with the team were worried about handing over the lone roster spot available for an American to a Division II college player from Alaska.

Then he went to a tryout in Spain and tweaked the interest of a couple teams. But at the pro level, Arts is a tweener — a bit small to play the No. 4 forward spot, a bit lacking in finesse for the No. 3 forward spot.

Time spent with the Dream could help him become a more prototypical small forward. At least that’s the hope.

“Yeah, it’s the ABA,” Arts said, “but it’s the next level. If I can show I can create at the wing, and develop drive moves, I’ll be able to send videotape to teams in Europe.

“It’s a great opportunity to work on my skills and play against great competition. Whether I’m in Europe or Alaska, I’m still playing basketball.”

And he said he’s never been around so many good players on a daily basis.

The Dream are loaded with former Division II players, many who starred in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, which the Seawolves and Nanooks play in. Beside Arts — an All-America pick for the Seawolves last season — there’s NCAA West Region selection Justin Bourne of the Nanooks and all-league picks Marques Echols of Seattle Pacific and Andrew Smith of the Nanooks.

From Humboldt State — a former GNAC team — there’s all-league picks Grayson Moyer, Jeremiah Ward and Will Shiefult. From Soldotna, there’s Travis Knutson, also a former Nanook. From Anchorage’s rugged city leagues, there’s Antonio Wyche, formerly of East High. And from Anchorage’s airwaves there’s Buddy Bailey, formerly of UAA.

Other teams in the 40-squad ABA have players with Division I credentials, but Sokaitis likes what he sees so far with the Dream.

“We don’t have that name recognition, but we’ve got guys who know how to play,” he said. “They’re fun to watch. Very fast. And no ego problems, because they’re a good team.”