A basketball signed by members of the 2025 Nome-Beltz Nanook team. Photo courtesy of Nikita Octuck.

A dream signed in sharpie: young fan’s unforgettable night with the Nome-Beltz Nanooks

7-year-old Nome-Beltz fan Raylan Octuck brought a basketball to Friday night’s game against West Valley in Anchorage, with the hopes of having the team sign it. 

The closely-contested game gave Raylan Octuck little time to hand the ball over to the team. As hope faded, he and his mother Nikita Octuck waited in a hallway just outside the locker room after the game. Then, Nikita Octuck spotted assistant coach Jon Gregg and let her son ask his big question.

“Could the Nanooks sign my ball?” Raylan Ocktuck asked.

“He said, ‘Yeah, absolutely’," Nikita Octuck recalled. "When he went to their room I was waiting in the hallway and I heard him say, ‘Listen up, this is Raylan. He wants everybody to sign his ball,’ and then I heard all the boys cheering back there. It was awesome."

Raylan Octuck suddenly found himself face-to-face with his heroes including his favorite player, Finn Gregg. The team passed around the ball, signing their names and numbers in sharpie and filling a panel with “RAYLAN” in giant letters. 

Raylan Octuck shows off his signed ball. Photo courtesy of Nikita Octuck.
Raylan Octuck shows off his signed ball. Photo courtesy of Nikita Octuck.

Raylan Octuck ran back to his parents with the freshly-signed ball in hand and asked for a case to display it in his room. He said he can’t wait to tell his friends about it when he goes back to school this week.

"I'm gonna bring my ball and then show them, I'm gonna tell them I went to the Nanook game and let all of them sign my ball," Raylan Octuck said. 

The first grader said he screamed as the Nanooks nailed their shots, but that even he can’t rival his mom, who played for Nome-Beltz in the early 2000’s. 

“My mom, mommy's louder,” Raylan Octuck said. 

The Octucks moved to Anchorage nearly a decade ago and were joined at the game by countless former residents of Nome. Nikita Octuck said she wasn’t alone in cheering for the Nanooks.

“They would start a cheer and the whole crowd would just cheer with them. A lot of those cheers that they do, like ‘Nanook Power’ are from when I was in school. They're still there, they still give the same energy from the crowd,” Nikita Octuck said. 

Nikita Octuck said the resilience the team showed is an inspiration to her two boys, both of which play basketball. 

“They’re just so inspirational to watch. It's not just their talent. They showed absolutely no frustration on that court,” Nikita Octuck said. “Through all their mistakes, they just keep fighting through the game.”

So inspirational that Raylan Octuck and his brother Kanae Octuck dream of playing for the Nanooks, but that dream will have to wait for another day. 

Kanae Octuck embraces his little brother, Rayland Octuck. Photo courtesy of Nikita Octuck.
Kanae Octuck embraces his little brother, Rayland Octuck. Photo courtesy of Nikita Octuck.

Did you enjoy this News story?

Consider supporting our work by becoming a one-time or recurring donor.

Scroll to Top