Da’Zhon Wyche and Daniel Hornbuckle
If it seems like Anchorage’s Da’Zhon Wyche and Fairbanks’ Daniel Hornbuckle have been around forever, it’s because they have.
Both were first team all-state upperclassmen in 2015 and 2016. Both have played for three college teams.
And now both have been named to the GNAC Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team.
Wyche, a first-year guard at UAA, and Daniel Hornbuckle, a second-year guard at Western Washington, were among the 15 players recognized by the NCAA Division II league.
Da'Zhon Wyche is your @UAAMBB pick for the @GNACsports Preseason All-Conference Team. Catch the Seawolves make their season debut Thur. & Fri. 7 pm at the Alaska Airlines Center!https://t.co/PR8TnaXQ6t@uaanchorage @AKSportsReport @sportsadn @KTUUSports pic.twitter.com/jzX8tVnZaf
— UAA Seawolves (@UAASeawolves) October 26, 2022
Wyche was the only newcomer on the team. The 5-foot-9 senior transferred to UAA this year to play his final season at home.
He averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals last season at D2 Texas Tyler. He was the second-leading scorer on the 16-10 squad.
Wyche shot 35 percent from 3-point land and made a 3 in 23 of 25 games.
He started his career at Laramie County in Wyoming before going to Texas Tyler, where he reunited with another Alaskan in head coach Louis Wilson of Anchorage.
Wyche makes his Seawolf debut tonight and will play in front of Anchorage fans for the first time since his days at West High. He helped the Eagles win the 2015 state title as a junior and was a two-time Class 4A Player of the Year.
He started his college career at Laramie County in Wyoming, where he established his college career highs of 36 points and 15 assists.
M🏀 | 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗖!
Congratulations to D'Angelo Minnis and Daniel Hornbuckle on earning preseason accolades from the GNAC head coaches heading into the 2022-23 season! pic.twitter.com/zjuRuDDmzQ
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) October 26, 2022
Hornbuckle was an All-GNAC pick last year in his first season at Western Washington.
The 6-foot-1 playmaker started 25 games last year and averaged 13.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
He drained a 3-pointer in 25 of 26 games, including the final 12. He extended his 3-point streak to 13 last night in a 95-81 win over Lincoln.
Hornbuckle started his college career at UAF before moving on and resurrecting his career at Portland CC in the NWAC. It was there that Hornbuckle morphed back into ‘Hornbuckets’ – the fearless shooter who was a 2,000-point scorer at West Valley High.
At Portland, Hornbuckle averaged 21.3 points in 23 games. He pumped in a career high 34 points against Clackamas. He hit a 35-footer to beat Lane. He drained a 40-footer to force OT against Chemeketa.
He brought that confidence with him to Western Washington, where he has asserted himself as arguably the most dangerous 3-point bombers in the conference.
He led the GNAC with 77 3s and ranked sixth with a .435 3-point shooting percentage. He also had 12 games with either four or five 3-pointers.
Hornbuckle scored 11 points in the season opener to give him 907 career points, pushing him closer to the 1,000-point benchmark.
