FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (November 1, 2022) – One of 10 newcomers to the Northern Arizona men's basketball team this year,
Oakland Fort joins the Lumberjacks as they look to rebuild and rebrand heading into the 2022-23 season.
Fort didn't travel far for college following his decorated high school career at Sunnyslope High School in Phoenix. Fort's time in the Valley was not shy of accolades, as the guard was named the Arizona Republic's 2021 Player of the Year. The awards continued to come knocking as Fort earned 6A Conference and 6A Southwest Region Offensive Player of the Year in 2021, along with 6A Conference and 6A Southwest Region Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, as well as three all-conference and all-region honors to top it all off.
The standout recruit had some options following a high school career like his, but ultimately chose to head up the mountain and call Northern Arizona his home.
"Coach Burcar recruiting me since my sophomore year meant a lot. He reached out and just stuck with me through COVID and everything that happened in those years, and still wanted me to come here at the end of the day," Fort said. "That was a big thing for me, I'm a big loyalty guy, so that stuck with me."
The Lumberjacks landing a recruit such as Fort shocked the Arizona basketball world, but Fort knew he wanted to be in Flagstaff playing with guys like
Jalen Cone,
Carson Towt and
Nik Mains. What he didn't know was that he would be lucky enough to enter with nine other newcomers, making the process smoother as the true freshman adjusts to college life.
"I love the guys. The freshmen that we have, I would say we are actually really close as a group even though we have only known each other for five months," Fort said. "Living with them and hanging out with them often, that really helps and it translates to the court, so the chemistry is there and getting to know them definitely helps as far as that goes."
Coming from a school where he played a vital role in helping the program get to a 21-2 record to win the 6A state championship, Fort is clearly looking to celebrate big wins and get the Jacks to be a championship contender. Coming into Northern Arizona straight out of high school and putting in the work ahead of the season has brought out some new strengths in the team as they prepare for the winter.
"Offensively and defensively, the speed and knowing where you're supposed to be, doing the right actions and making the right plays, I'm still adjusting to all of that." Fort said. "It's just something I have to pick up on day to day and the guys help out a lot as well as the coaching staff just making sure we're comfortable with everything."
The difference between high school to college basketball is a lot of the additional time commitments the players see with weights, practice sessions, studying, classes and still finding room for a social life. With 10 newcomers, the adjustment has been made easier when you're all doing it together and everyone has the same end goal of winning together.
"Traveling with the guys, it kind of reminds me of AAU trips but different. You get to know people better and see the coaches in their non-coaching elements sometimes and you get to know them and their personal life a little more, so I'm looking forward to that," Fort said. "And playing of course, that's gonna be fun. Practice is always fun, but game days are just different feelings."
Looking ahead to NAU's 31-game schedule and being so close to home, Fort said he's looking forward to traveling back down to the Valley for the Nov. 10 game against Arizona State and getting to see some familiar faces.
Most of all, the newcomer is looking towards game day in Flagstaff and experiencing the college game in its true fashion.
"Coach is big on protecting our home court and protecting Flagstaff, and I really think we have a chance to do that this year," Fort said. "I'm looking forward to all our conference games and home games and getting people out here, we want to bring the Big Sky Championship back."
