Big Sky Basketball: In-depth look at Northern Arizona guard Oakland Fort

Why you should know Oakland Fort?

The guard has already had a good two year career but he is only scratching the surface of how good he could be. He headed to Northern Arizona after a decorated high school career. His high school career culminated with a long list of awards. He was the 2021 Arizona Republic Player of the Year, offensive and defensive player of the year, and was all conference and all region for three years. He came in with high expectations and so far, he has lived up to them.

Fort played in every game his freshman year and it took him a while to get his feet wet but once the Big Sky tournament came around, he stepped up in a big way. The guard hit a buzzer beater to beat top seed Eastern Washington. The junior guard scored his career high 15 points in that game and scored 15 points one other time in his season. Fort scored double digits in every game of the conference tournament but overall, he only scored 5 points per game on the season. It was a good season overall and one that you would expect from a freshman.

Year two was far better for the guard and he started to come into his own. The point guard was a starter all year long and saw his scoring average double. Fort saw his minutes increase from 15 minutes to 30 minutes and also averaged 3 assists per night. Fort is not a great shooter and was a guy who took a high volume of shots but he was a guy who gained the confidence of the coaches and they trust him to make the right play. Even when he is not scoring his defense can be elite especially on the perimeter and he is a fantastic rebounder for his size. Fort is ready for his breakout.