Afternoon matinee. Local basketball fans can get their fill of turkey for Thanksgiving but they had better leave plenty of room for birds of a different feather come Saturday afternoon (Nov. 30). Seattle Pacific University hosts crosstown rival Seattle University in the final men's basketball home game for the next 33 days. The Falcons (3-0) are coming off three strong outings and this non-conference encounter with the Redhawks (2-0) will be the final game prior to the commencement of Great Northwest Athletic Conference play at Central Washington Dec. 5. That's the first of five consecutive games on the road.

Baker's dozen? Not so fast. For the past seven years the Falcons have made a regular meal out of the Redhawks and their predecessors, the Chieftains. SPU has won 12 straight games in the series but last season Seattle U. began closing the gap, trimming the average margin from 25.5 points in 2000-01 to 15.3, with one game being decided by just five points. Seattle Pacific was picked fourth in the GNAC preseason poll and the Redhawks-believed to be one of the league's most improved teams-were sixth.

A Hiro sandwich. As coaching debuts go, Jeff Hironaka can't complain. Despite his squad being shorthanded due to a couple suspensions, Hironaka earned a win in his first game at the helm, 80-70 over Minnesota-Duluth. Following victories over Central Washington (84-81) and Warner Pacific (71-66), he has an opportunity to become only the second SPU coach to start his watch with four straight wins. Of the nine other headmasters, only Jim Poteet (1981-84) started 4-0.

Taking a Yuey. Without question, Hironaka is heaping a great deal of responsibility on the shoulders of Yusef Aziz (Sr., 6-4, Seattle, Wa./Foster-Highline CC). If the Falcons are to make a run at the GNAC and a sixth straight trip to the NCAA Division II tournament, they need a big season from their all-region forward and go-to guy. Duluth apparently knew that and consequently defended Aziz to the hilt in the first game, resulting in him shooting just 4-15 from the floor. The next night Yuey made a U-turn, summoning perhaps the best game of his career by scoring a career-high 32 points, including five in the decisive final three minutes. He hit inside and outside, sinking 10 of 13 baskets, and 12 of 16 free throws, and against Warner Pacific Aziz was especially tough inside, shooting 9-13 and scoring 19 points. His weekend work earned him far and away the most votes on the Vitamilk Tip-Off Classic all-tournament team.

Roles with relish. The big picture calls for Aziz to command attention while a supporting cast quietly nibbles away at the opponent's defense. Only in the opener, it was Seattle Pacific's role players who rose to the occasion. Jordan Lee (So., 6-0, University Place, Wa./Life Christian) and Jeff Knudson (Fr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) came off the bench to score 15 points apiece and hit a combined 6-8 three-pointers as the SPU bench outscored the UMD reserves 39-18. Another key figure was backup center Chris Cohen (Jr., 6-8, Saint Helens, Or.), who did a yeoman's job inside, hauling in eight rebounds and scoring nine points (both career-highs) in 15 minutes. Against Central, Daniel Sandrin (Sr., 6-7, Bothell, Wa.) came off the bench and hit the go-ahead shot with 1 minute to go, Knudson nailed a pair of treys and Gene Woodard (Sr., 6-4, Edmonds, Wa./O'Dea) had six rebounds.

Changing of the guards. Next to Aziz, the Falcons' depth may be their best asset. They received solid performances from all four guards over the weekend, with fifth-year veteran Adam Harris (Sr., 6-0, Fox Island, Wa./Gig Harbor) earning a place on the all-tournament team. Going according to script, Harris wasn't particularly flashy but very effective in scoring 20 points, shooting 6-10 from the floor (4-7 treys) and making four steals. Rookie Tony Binetti (Fr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa./Enumclaw) got the starting call against Duluth and played his 30 minutes with poise, scoring eight points but, more importantly, making only one turnover while handling the ball most of the time. Maurice Cato (Sr., 6-0, Fairfield, Ca.) was back in the lineup vs. Central and scored 10 points while Lee finished the weekend with 21 points and four assists.

Shiver me Chivers. The scary thing is that, with only a year and a half or organized basketball in his blood, Jason Chivers (So., 6-8, Palmdale, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech) is only going to get stronger. Chivers started and played only 34 minutes in the first two games but when he was on the court, he was a big factor. He clutched 12 rebounds, blocked three shots and hit a couple big free throws late against Central. Chivers played one year in high school before embarking on a pro baseball career. Following four years in the minor leagues, he played 16 games last season at Los Angeles Trade Tech junior college before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Put-backs. Jesse Keely (Sr., 6-7, Fircrest, Wa./Bellarmine), plagued with foul trouble in the first two games, scored a career-high 13 points and had eight boards vs. WPC. That effort resembled the promise of the two preseason games, when Keely scored 28 points and shot over 80 percent...Aziz not only leads the team in scoring (21.3 ranks fifth in the GNAC) but assists (3.3) and blocked shots (1.7)...The Falcons shot 56 and 49 percent in the first two games, respectively. They were 10-18 outside the arc in the opener. In the GNAC, they own the best field-goal percentage (.512) and are No. 2 in three-point accuracy (.423). Opponents, however, are shooting .489 from the field...Aziz set a tournament record with 12 free throws vs. Central...Knudson is 7-12 on treys and Binetti 5-12 to begin the season...Chivers and Cohen each have seven offensive rebounds and are overall team leaders at 5.0 and 4.7, respectively. Oddly, they've averaged only 13.3 and 10.7 minutes of play...Sandrin and Cato each missed the UMD game, serving suspensions after a breach of team rules.

Tickets, please. Reserved tickets for all SPU home games are priced $7 and $6. General admission is $5 with youth, students and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Groups can qualify for discounts by calling (206) 281-2085 in advance.

Coaches. The longest-serving assistant in program history, Jeff Hironaka was selected to succeed Ken Bone as head coach Apr. 30, 2002. A former aide at Idaho State and The Master's, Hironaka joined Bone in 1991 and from there the Falcons won 236 of 253 games, claimed five outright or shared conference championships and qualified for the NCAA tournament eight of the last nine years, including a Final Four advancement in 2000. Hironaka is the second Japanese-American head coach of a four-year collegiate program. Keith Cooper, an alumnus of Seattle Pacific, is the staff's top assistant. Cooper previously was an assistant at Central Washington and Pacific Lutheran, and head coach at Federal Way's Decatur High School. George Parker who first served as an assistant in 1986, returns for his 14th year on the staff. Others who are new to the staff are Rich King, former Nebraska and Seattle SuperSonics center, and Michael Johnson, an all-state selection from nearby Ballard and four-year letterman at Washington.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.