This week...
Mar. 8-10 -- NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S BASKETBALL WEST REGIONAL, Sam Carver Gymnasium, Bellingham, Wa.
     Thr., Mar. 8 -- SEATTLE PACIFIC v CENTRAL WASHINGTON, 6 p.m. (also CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD v HUMBOLDT STATE, 8 p.m.)
     Fri., Mar. 9 -- Game 1 Winner v CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO, 6 p.m. (also Game 2 Winner v WESTERN WASHINGTON, 8 p.m.)
     Sat., Mar. 10 -- REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, 7 p.m.

Complete 2000 Schedule

March Madness begins...
Shaken and rattled last week, the Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team rolls into NCAA Division II tournament action this week (21-5) and will face a familiar foe in familiar surroundings. The Falcons (21-5) are seeded third in the West Regional and are pitted against longtime rival Central Washington (17-9) in the first round. Another opponent from this season's schedule, No. 6-ranked Cal State San Bernardino (23-3), awaits the winner in Friday's (Mar. 9) first semifinal. No. 7 and top seed Western Washington (24-3), Cal State Bakersfield (20-7) and Humboldt State (20-7) complete the field.

Without interruption...
After a lengthy stay in the Golden State, the regional returns to Washington for the third year in a row, and SPU holds the distinction of being the only team in the West to have made the playoffs each of the last four years. The Falcons won the West and advanced to the Final Four in 2000. They made the regional championship game in 1998 and 1999 as well, and have qualified for postseason play seven of the last eight years under Coach Ken Bone (11th year).

NCAA bracket notes...
The 48-team NCAA bracket includes one undefeated team (Adelphi, Pa., 29-0), the defending champion (Metro State, Co.) and the host school for the Elite Eight (Bakersfield), which will be held Mar. 21-24. The West Region champion will play the East representative in the national quarterfinal round. Four Pacific West Conference teams made the regional field.

Ticket information...
Tickets for the West Regional are available in both single session and three-day packages. Reserved seating is $10, general admission $8, with students $3. The Carver Gym box office opens at 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

Deja vu all over again...
Every possible pairing has a bit of the "been there, done that" tag. A year ago in Brougham Pavilion, the Falcons and Wildcats met in the regional title game after Central had won both conference games. This time around, SPU swept the season series. Should it advance, Seattle Pacific meets Cal State San Bernardino in a rematch of the 1999 regional championship game in Ellensburg. And it has twice met Cal State Bakersfield in the playoffs since 1996, including a second round game in 1998.

Hubbard in the clutch...
The Falcons feature four players averaging in double figures, led by forward John Hubbard (Sr., 6-5, Inglewood, Ca./Grays Harbor CC), who was firing on all cylinders down the stretch. Hubbard, who was named first all-conference this week, averaged 21.2 points in the final nine games, shooting 52 percent from the floor and 41 percent from behind the 3-point arc. He's scored a total of 57 points in the last three meetings with Central, including 22 points off the bench at the 2000 regional. Hubbard finished seventh in PacWest, scoring 19.0 points per game. With six more points he will become only the 12th SPU to score 500 in a single season. He was a second team all-conference selection as a junior.

Like a rock...
Seattle Pacific would not have edged Central in overtime Feb. 17 had it not been for Brannon Stone (Jr., 6-9, Oak Harbor, Wa.), who was also a repeat all-PacWest selection. The team's do-it-all forward did just that, scoring 28 points, hitting 6 of 8 treys, grabbing 10 rebounds and blocking three shots. Stone, the No. 2 season scorer (14.9) behind Hubbard, was the team leader in assists (3.5), blocks (2.0), steals (1.8), free throw percentage (.829) and co-leader in rebounds (6.3).

Nick the nemesis...
If anyone could claim the mantle of Wildcat killer it's guard Nick Johnson (Jr., 6-3, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison). A first-time all-conference pick, he scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half at Ellensburg and helped hold No. 2 CWU scorer Damien Chapmanto 4 of 13 shooting. In the second meeting, Johnson scored seven of his 16 points in the final 11 minutes of regulation and overtime, including the decisive free throws with 35 seconds left in the extra session.

Falcon fundamentals...
The cast of players keeps changing but the hallmarks of Bone's SPU teams remains the same: intense, pressure defense at one end of the floor with broad balance and good shot selection at the other. The Falcons led the PacWest in scoring defense (73.1) and tied for first in field goal percentage defense (.433). They led in 3-point accuracy (.419), were second in rebounding margin (+3.6) and third in overall shooting (.490). This season SPU is 11-0 when holding an opponent to under 40 percent shooting and 15-0 when it holds a rebounding edge. Seattle Pacific is coming off a season-high 14 (28 attempts) 3-pointers vs. Western Washington.

Role players...
Bone went 11 players deep most of the season, but has gone primarily with nine in the last few games. Aaron Bellessa (So., 6-2, Federal Way, Wa./Decatur) starts at point guard but virtually shares the position with Darrell Walker (Sr., 6-0, Marysville, Wa./M'ville-Pilchuck-EWU). Bellessa took only 43 shots during the year while Walker peppered defenses for 29 3-pointers. He was second to Stone in both assists (3.3) and steals (1.3). On the frontline, Jesse Keely (So., 6-7, Fircrest, Wa./Bellarmine-Portland) emerged as the top reserve in the final seven games, when he averaged 6.0 points and 6.1 boards.

Put-backs...
Each game of the tournament is tentatively scheduled to be webcast. Consult the host team web site at www.wwuvikings.com for appropriate links...Stone needs 10 rebounds to pass Dave Wortman (1958-62) at No. 6 on career list. He is six steals from moving past Ritchie McKay (1985-87) for No. 2 and is already the career, season and single game record-holder for blocks...Center Eric Sandrin (Jr., 6-10, Bothell, Wa./Shorecrest-Portland) popped outside to hit a team-high four treys vs. Western. Sandrin, who was honorable mention all-conference, hit 8-13 treys and scored 38 points in the two games with the Vikings...SPU has won nine of its last 11 games in Bellingham, including three neutral court victories dating back to a 91-83 win over Central last season...SPU was 6-2 in games decided by five points or less and 18-1 in games which it held the lead going into the final five minutes of regulation.

Series, opponent notes...
SPU has won three in a row and four of the last six vs. Central Washington. The longtime NAIA power is making its third straight NCAA appearance. Justin Thompson was the Wildcats' top scorer (19.3). Central with a last-second, 72-71 win over Saint Martin's, leapfrogged from No. 8 in the final weekend of play to get the sixth and final seed...Cal State San Bernardino was the West's top ranked team until Feb. 28, when it slipped behind Western following a loss to UC Davis. In the season opener in Seattle, the Coyotes shot 53 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Falcons 38-26. Sandrin scored 21 points while CSSB's Glenn Summerall answered with 16. The series stands at 2-2...Western Washington is making its NCAA tournament debut this week. The Vikings were the only team to sweep SPU this season, winning 99-93 in Bellingham Nov. 30 and snapping the 9-game win streak in the regular season finale, 89-82 behind a career-high 29 points by Ryan Kettman. Bone is 19-4 vs. Western and the series is 58-37 overall...Bone's teams are 9-6 in NCAA games and have opened with a win the last six times.

S-P-U on the W-E-B...
You can follow Seattle Pacific via the world wide web. The Falcons Online features weekly releases, rosters, schedules, updated results, histories and coaching profiles for all 12 varsity sports. You're already here!

PacWest Conference Standings

Personnel notes...
No Player Yr-Exp Hgt '00-01 stats Hometown Notes
4 Abe Fox Jr-2V 6-8 2.1/1.6 reb Port Townsend, Wa. 24 gms, avg. 9.4 minutes; 12 pts v Linfield
10 Adam Harris So-1V 6-0 3.5/0.8 ast Fox Island, Wa. Gig Harbor grad 46% (15-33) 3-pointers
11 Aaron Bellessa* So-1V 6-2 2.2/2.8 ast Federal Way, Wa. Starter at point guard; 20-43 FG
20 Darrell Walker Sr-TR 6-0 6.2/3.3 ast Marysville, Wa. 29-68 3-pointers, 43%; 1.3 steals
21 Brannon Stone* Jr-2V 6-7 14.9/6.3 reb Oak Harbor, Wa. 50 3ptrs; 2.0 blks, 1.8 stls; 83% FT
22 Jesse Keely So-TR 6-7 2.8/2.8 reb Fircrest, Wa. 12 reb. v HSU; 19-42 FG; 81% FT
23 Nick Johnson* Jr-2V 6-3 13.5/4.6 reb Burlington, Wa. 24 pts v Tarleton St.; 52% 3-ptrs (31-60)
30 Gene Woodard So-1V 6-4 4.5/2.2 reb Edmonds, Wa. Career-high 20 pts at Linfield; 56% FG
32 John Hubbard* Sr-1V 6-5 19.0/3.0 reb Inglewood, Ca. 59-156 3-ptrs (38%); 80% FT
34 Eric Sandrin* Jr-TR 6-10 12.8/6.3 reb Bothell, Wa. 55% FG, 0.9 blks; 15-36 3-ptrs
40 Daniel Sandrin So-TR 6-7 3.0/2.6 reb Bothell, Wa. Avg 12.5 minutes; 23 gms.; 5-7 3 ptrs
42 Chris Cohen Fr-RS 6-8 0.6/0.9 reb Saint Helens, Or. Played in 15 games; 4-8 FG
*projected starter
Coach: Ken Bone (SPU '83) 11th year (229-91/.716)