<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3pUbU3_0wNYKBlh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3pUbU3_0wNYKBlh00" width="1024" height="682" ><figcaption>UAA coach Rusty Osborne talks during a timeout Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report</figcaption></figure>Players come and go, but coach Rusty Osborne has been a mainstay for the UAA men’s basketball team for two decades.People who reach milestones joke about how they are getting old, but winning never gets old, and Osborne has done a lot of it since taking the helm in 2004.He picked up his 350th career victory Friday night after the Seawolves won their season opener 80-55 over Warner Pacific at the Alaska Airlines Center to tip off his 20th season as bench boss.Already the all-time winningest coach in school and Great Northwest Athletic Conference history, Osborne has now reached a major milestone few coaches are around long enough to achieve. He arrived on campus in 1991 as an assistant under Harry Larrabee and served in that role for 13 years, including 11 as Charlie Bruns’ chief assistant. Things didn’t start out great for the rookie head coach, who went 11-16 in the 2004-05 season. But it got better in a hurry.The Seawolves won 19 games in each of the next two seasons before a breakout season in 2007-08 when the team posted the best record in school history (29-6) and advanced to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.UAA HOOPS COACHESWINS COACH YEARS350 Rusty Osborne 2004-24187 Charlie Bruns 1993-04131 Harry Larrabee 1981-86, 91-93109 Ron Abegglen 1986-9160 Gary Bliss 1978-8132 Bob Rachal 1977-78Since then, Osborne has consistently kept the Seawolves in the hunt for a GNAC title and NCAA Division II playoff berth.A defense-minded coach, Osborne’s teams have led the GNAC in points allowed in eight of his 19 seasons. The Seawolves have also ranked top 10 nationally in either 3-point or free-throw percentage in eight of the last 14 years.His teams have piled up 12 wins over NCAA Division I competition and 19 over nationally ranked D2 teams.The Seawolves are coming off a 22-11 season in which they beat the No. 1 team in the country and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=1zUqkI_0wNYKBlh00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=1zUqkI_0wNYKBlh00" width="1024" height="683" ><figcaption>Anchorage’s Bishop Tosi was back on the court Friday. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report</figcaption></figure>In Friday’s opener, JC transfer Tyler Burraston debuted with 23 points and Anchorage native Bishop Tosi returned to the lineup with 10 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in his first game since missing most of last season with a broken finger.Tosi, of Bartlett High fame, and senior guard Dillon Barrientos Santa Clarita, Calif.) were both named to the GNAC preseason all-conference team. Barrientos, who is coming off an injury of his own and has practiced much, played 15 minutes off the bench.“I thought we did some nice things for the first night with a mostly new group,” Osborne said in a press release. “We were able to get some looks at different lineup combinations, and our new guys got their feet wet.”The Seawolves stretched their largest advantage to 77-47 with two minutes to play after redshirt freshman Parker Kroon of Wasilla sank a 3 for his first career points.<h2>Story made possible by:</h2>Family of SponsorsAdvanced Diagnostics, INC | Alaska Airlines | Alaska Oil and Gas Association | Alliance for Support of American Legion Baseball in Alaska | Joe Alston | Arctic Slope Regional Corporation | Aspen Endodontics | Glen Bailey | Kathie Bethard | Black-Smith, Bethard &amp; Carlson, LLC. | BOSCO's | Don Clary &amp; Judy Besh | Zareena and Allen Clendaniel | Continental Auto Group | Joey Caterinichio &amp; Ja Dorris | The Conway Family | Donley Family | Jim &amp; Michelle Hajdukovich | Foley &amp; Pearson | JL Properties | Mark and Jamie Johnson | Kristopher Knauss | Loren Kroon | Dr. Justin Libby, DDS | Jason &amp; Shannon Metrokin | Amy and Jason Miller | Multisport Training of Alaska/Lisa Keller | Rick Mystrom | Kathleen Navarre | Seth Wickersham &amp; Alison Overholt | Dave and DeAnne Rand | R&amp;M Consultants, Inc. | Dave &amp; DeAnne Rand | RE/MAX Dynamic Properties Kevin Taylor | Replacement Glass | Residential Mortgage | RSA Engineering- Sarah &amp; A.J. Schirack | Tony and Carla Slaton Barker | Sportclips Haircuts | Alice &amp; Gunnar Knapp | Peter Pounds | Pete Robinson | Dan Rufner | Harlow Robinson | Pete Robinson | Moria Smith | Skinny Raven | Taylored Restoration | In memory of Drs. John &amp; Elizabeth Tower | Team Heat | Todd Whited | UAA Seawolves | Don Winchester </div></body>

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Seawolves win season opener for coach Osborne’s 350th career victory

Players come and go, but coach Rusty Osborne has been a mainstay for the UAA men’s basketball team for two decades. People who reach milestones joke about how they are getting old, but winning never gets old, and Osborne has done a lot of it since taking the helm in 2004.