Post-holiday hoops. At about the moment most of us are waking from our second or third turkey-induced naps, two other types of birds will take to the hardwood. The Falcons of Seattle Pacific University (1-1) and Redhawks of Seattle University (0-0) will meet for the first of thee times this season Saturday night (Nov. 24) at Connolly Center following a brief Thanksgiving break. Next week SPU hosts its final two home games before Christmas, beginning with Tuesday's (Nov. 27) encounter with Northwest College.

Not another November. Although Seattle Pacific has won 48 games the past two seasons it was unable to emerge from November without two losses. That's the slow start Coach Ken Bone wishes to avoid this time around. The Falcons lost their season opener for the third year in a row, this time to Indianapolis in a heartbreaker on a basket with 3 seconds left. Now the Falcons have three games in which to build momentum going into the first Great Northwest Athletic Conference game, Dec. 6 at Central Washington. In 1999-00, Bone's team started just 1-2 but then reeled off 20 wins in the next 21 games and eventually they reached the NCAA Division II Final Four and finished 27-5.

And a newcomer shall led them. They may have four starters back but on the first weekend of the regular season it was a newcomer who shone brightest for the Birds. Yusef Aziz (Jr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster-Highline CC) contributed a total of 33 points and 14 rebounds as SPU settled for a split of its games at the 10th annual Vitamilk Tip-Off Classic. Aziz primarily operated from short range in converting 8 of 10 shots and scoring 17 in an 87-59 win over Lock Haven. The previous night he had come off the bench for 16 points against Indianapolis, and he was the go-to guy on the game's final play, a three-quarter court-length pass which found him open for a 3-pointer from the left angle. It hit off the front rim, preserving a 68-67 victory for Indy. Yusef's father, former NBA center Zaid Abdul-Aziz, scored a couple baskets of his own. The senior Aziz had his ticket number drawn for a halftime hoopshoot contest and earned himself $75 of spending money at the local Fred Meyer store.

Oh, brothers. Statistically, the difference against Lock Haven was one family. The Brothers Sandrin of Bothell accounted for 29 points, with starting center Eric Sandrin (Sr., 6-10, Bothell, Wa./Shorecrest-Portland) scoring 15 and younger sibling Daniel Sandrin (Jr., 6-7, Bothell, Wa./Bothell-Portland) coming off the bench for 14 in as many minutes. Eric, who had 11 vs. Indy, gave SPU an offensive presence down low with Aziz, but he also hit a trey in each contest. Last season Eric made 16 shots from behind the 3-point arc. Daniel's 14 points on 6-10 shooting was a career high.

Nick at night. Joining Aziz on the all-tournament team was Nick Johnson (Sr., 6-3, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison), who played exceptionally well against Indianapolis, when he scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half to bring the cold-shooting Falcons back from a 10-point deficit. Johnson connected on a trey and then made two free throws with 18 seconds left to put SPU ahead by one. He also finished with eight rebounds and four assists. Johnson played only 20 minutes vs. Lock Haven, hitting all three of his field goals.

Gotcha, Tony. Bone got a great start on building next year's team when Enumclaw point guard Tony Binetti signed a national letter of intent last week. Binetti led the Hornets to the state 4A tournament in each of his first three seasons and was an all-South Puget Sound League pick as a junior after scoring 12.7 points and averaging 3.7 assists. The early signing period concludes Nov. 21.

Put-backs. Preseason All-America forward Brannon Stone (Sr., 6-9, Oak Harbor, Wa.) had a relatively quiet opening weekend, at least scoring-wise (16 points) but nonetheless led the team with 12 assists and six steals...Gene Woodard (Jr., 6-4, Edmonds, Wa./O'Dea) alternated starts with Aziz at forward and had 14 points­his second-best collegiate total­in 15 minutes vs. Lock Haven...After going 1-6 in the first game, point guard Maurice Cato (Jr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca./Fairfield-Skyline JC) went 3-5, including a couple treys, and scored 11 vs. Lock Haven...The Falcons were a plus-13 in turnovers in the first two games... Aaron Bellessa (So., 6-2, Federal Way, Wa./Decatur), the starter at point last season, had seven assists without a turnover in 41 minutes of play off the bench...After recovering from a thumb injury, backup guard Adam Harris (Jr., 6-0, Fox Island, Wa./Gig Harbor) is now sidelined by a fracture of the left ankle. He hopes to return by mid-December.

Opponent & series notes. SPU continues to close the gap in the Seattle U. series. The Redhawks have won just 10 of the last 33 meetings since dropping from Division I in 1980 but maintain an overall lead of 42-29. Seattle U. opens its season under new coach Joe Callero Tuesday at Northwest College...Northwest College is winless in nine previous games against SPU, the most recent in 1995-96. The Eagles are coached by former Falcon John Van Dyke (1986-88).

Tickets, please. Reserved ticket prices for all SPU home games are priced at $7 and $6. General admission prices are $5 with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Teams or groups can qualify for discount rates by call (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. In his 11 years as coach of his alma mater, Ken Bone has directed the Falcons to seven NCAA tournament berths, five conference titles and 11 consecutive winning records. His winning percentage of .712 is the best in school history, surpassing even the legendary Les Habegger. From 1995-2000 Bone's teams advanced to the regional championship game five times, including a record 27 wins and Final Four appearance in 2000. Jeff Hironaka is in his 11th year as associate head coach. Jarrett Mentink returns to the staff after a four-year absence this season. George Parker who first served as an assistant in 1986, returns for his 13th year on the staff. Former all-conference forward Reggie Paul joins the staff after five seasons of playing professionally in Europe and Asia.