​FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Northern Arizona’s players mix it up with quick cuts, crisp passes and decisive shots, their chatter filling the thin mountain air as the coaching staff fires out directions. Throughout a lively summer workout, one thing is obvious: these Lumberjacks are big. “It’s the longest and biggest team we’ve had,” Northern Arizona coach Shane Burcar said. “We’ve got three or four legit big guys.” Now entering a pivotal eighth season at NAU, Burcar has chosen to build around size.
Burcar has long shown himself to be an adept coach and a developer of young men, but he enters this cycle with one year remaining on his contract after a second one-year extension and under a new athletic director, Richard Duran. Duran has voiced support for Burcar and recognizes the challenge of winning at a program like NAU, but he also notes that progress is essential. “I want our guys to win, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel the pressure a little bit,” Burcar said. “We do a great job in the community, we do a great job in the classroom, and we want to do better on the court. That’s just the reality. It’s really important to win here and do it the right way.”
Northern Arizona had been climbing, lifting its win total in four straight seasons and reaching 18 wins in 2024-25 to earn a College Basketball Invitational bid, the program’s first postseason appearance in a decade. Hoping to build on that momentum, Burcar instead watched the tally slip to 10-22 last season, with a 4-14 mark in the Big Sky Conference. Injuries played a major role. Leading scorer Zack Davidson suffered a foot injury in practice after NAU’s second Big Sky Conference game and missed the final 17 games. Big man Walker Timme, who was expected to be a major contributor after transferring, logged only eight minutes in the season due to a back injury, while several other players missed time as well.
“It wasn’t like we weren’t trying,” Burcar said. “We just didn’t have the firepower to overcome things.” His goal through recruiting and the transfer portal has been to add size and depth to get the program back on track.
NAU’s transfer class features 7-foot Tamiel Green from Indian River State College in Florida, 6-10 center Nana Keutcha from Colby College in Maine, and 6-10 forward Zach Tanner from Utah State Eastern. Burcar’s signature acquisition was convincing 7-foot Dylan Anderson to join the Lumberjacks in Flagstaff. Anderson starred as a two-time Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year at Perry High School in Chandler and was regarded as one of the state’s top prospects.
Anderson began his college career at Arizona but saw limited action in 2022-23 and redshirted the following season before transferring to Boise State. He appeared in Boise State for a time, averaging 3.5 points in 10.2 minutes per game, before moving to Murray State, where he faced more competition and logged limited minutes, averaging seven points. The challenges of finding a consistent role at multiple stops illustrate the uphill climb for a player of his caliber, but NAU hopes his size and potential can help reshape the frontline.
As the season approaches, Burcar’s emphasis remains clear: integrate new talent, lean into a deeper, more versatile front line, and restore the program’s winning culture with men who can perform consistently. With a roster that leans heavily on length and a coaching staff tasked with translating that upside into wins, the Lumberjacks are betting on progress—on the court, in the classroom, and in the community—to sustain momentum and bring NAU back into post-season contention.