The Nanooks from Nome-Beltz High School are used to having a crowd from home when they compete in Anchorage, but they were treated to a special surprise after their January 17th basketball game against West Valley High. In the stands that day was 7-year-old Raylan Octuck and his mother Nikita, herself a Nanook once upon a time.
“Listen up, this is Raylan,” assistant coach Jon Gregg announced to the team, “He wants everybody to sign his ball.” The Nanooks greeted their fan with a cheer and set about signing their names and numbers in sharpie. Raylan ran back to his parents asking for a case to display the ball in his room and saying he couldn’t wait to tell his friends at school that his heroes signed it for him.
Nikita Octuck says that the Nanooks’ resilience on the court is an inspiration for her two sons, who both play basketball and dream of playing for the Nanooks themselves someday. In the meantime, they turn out along with many other former residents of Nome for the team’s games in Anchorage, where Raylan boasts that his mom cheers the loudest.
You can follow the Nanooks’ exploits with the weekly Nanook Sports Minute on KNOM’s YouTube channel.
