Thursday, June 11, 2026 | Anchorage

Bristol Tobin has never played a minute of AAU basketball. His summers belong to commercial fishing in Bristol Bay, and he credits the work, and the break from the gym, for the freshness he brought back to the court every fall.

That path just produced the 2025-26 MaxPreps Alaska Player of the Year.

Tobin wasn't watching for the award. He didn't know he'd won until Jason Boerger, his coach at Grace Christian, told him and the congratulations started coming in.

"There is so much hype around the GPOY [Gatorade Player of the Year] but it wasn't on my radar to look for MaxPreps," Tobin said. "I knew that I had been named initially as the player to watch before the season but never really expected it at the end."

He texted his mom first.

Tobin is a 6-foot-5 forward from the Grace Christian class of 2026, and his next stop is set: Athletes in Action Prep Academy, a Christ-centered post-graduate program in Xenia, Ohio, that pairs a national schedule with the kind of development he says he was looking for all along.

"I have been so lucky to be part of a basketball program that emphasizes character development over winning, even though we really love to win," Tobin said. "Coach Boerger spends a lot of time talking about living out our faith and playing the game the right way. Finding a college program that is interested in developing me as a whole person would be ideal."

Ask him what part of his game goes unnoticed and he doesn't reach for scoring. He points to his defense, and to knowing the offense well enough to find the read and hit the open man.

The numbers say he did all of it. Tobin averaged 15.6 points, 9.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 2.0 steals this season while shooting 60 percent from the floor and 46 percent from three. In February he went for 36 points and 11 rebounds against Tikigaq on 16-of-19 shooting. In the NLC title game, he went for 26 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists as Grace Christian won its first 4A region championship.

The bigger climb took four years. Tobin was a freshman on the bench when Grace won the 3A state title, and the team reached state all four of his seasons. Moving up to 4A as a small school was the real test.

"I don't think that anyone believed that we could do it," Tobin said. After back-to-back disappointing finishes at state, including an overtime loss in the semifinals as the No. 1 seed, the group wanted to prove it belonged.

Grace lost key players early in the season, which made the team's theme that year, "row the boat," more than a slogan.

"We played our best basketball at the right time," Tobin said.

The proof came early. In the second game of the season, Grace faced Cole Valley Christian, a team that went on to win Idaho's 4A state championship. Tobin's group was outsized and won anyway.

"Winning that game gave us all confidence that we could play against really great teams if we played together," Tobin said.

The faith that's drawing him to Xenia isn't new, either. Tobin went on missions trips with Grace two years running, putting into practice, in his words, what he believes about serving others.

Four years as a contributor, three as a starter. Two state championships, a 98-17 record, and more than 1,000 career points. His gratitude runs to his family, his coaches, and the teammates he won the first 4A state title alongside.

Ask him how he wants his Grace Christian career remembered:

"I want people to say that I played the game the way it should be played. Not making excuses or complaining about things that I couldn't control, celebrating my teammates' successes, and being grateful for the athletic ability that I can use to be an example to others."

Next season starts in Xenia.