On the verge. It took the legendary Les Habegger five years and Ken Bone four to get their first teams to the NCAA tournament. Jeff Hironaka has a great shot at accomplishing the same feat in three. The Seattle Pacific University men’s basketball program seems poised for a return to postseason play next year, when it returns all five starters and all but one player from a squad which finished 14-13 and tied for fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. SPU made another late-season push this past season before being eliminated from playoff consideration in the final week.

Seasoning added. Unlike this past autumn, when he had a young and inexperienced group, Hironaka will greet a seasoned bunch of young men when practices begin in the fall. And it’s a very talented and promising team, not to mention resilient. The Falcons’ competitive fire was evidenced both by their drive to win five of their last seven and eight of 13, but also by the fact that they beat a Final Four team and, in 10 games against playoff teams, the average margin was only 4.0 points. After replacing four starters from ‘02-03, SPU started off 4-6 but began to gain confidence following an upset of then No. 2-ranked Humboldt State Jan. 10. The Lumberjacks later won the GNAC and West Regional. Although they rallied to post their 16th consecutive winning record, the Falcons missed the tournament for only the third time since 1994.

Center of attention. When the various preseason All-America teams are released in the fall, it’s likely that the name of center Jason Chivers (Jr., 6-8, Los Angeles, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech) will be mentioned. Chivers became a bona fide force in just his third full season of organized ball. He earned first team all-GNAC and second team all-region honors after scoring 16.3 points per game and averaging 11.3 rebounds–tops in the conference and No. 5 in the nation. Chivers became the first SPU center to average a double-double (he had 18 altogether) since All-America Jim Ballard in 1973.

Nobody’s better. Maybe Shaquille O’Neal could learn something from these fellas on Nickerson Street. Seattle Pacific features both the individual NCAA leader in free throw percentage–Ralph Steele (Jr., 6-2, No. Birmingham, Al./Huffman-Citrus JC)–and also the No. 1 team in that category. Steele made 82 of 90 foul shots to finish at 91.1 percent, breaking the school record of 90.2 set by Ryan Skogstad in 2000. The team obliterated its record, shooting 79.4 percent. The next-best Division II team was Saint Anselm at 78.5.

More postseason honors. Some other starters will also begin next season on the watch list for honors. Jordan Lee (Jr., 6-2, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian), who finished tied for No. 6 in national three-point shooting (50.0 percent, 68-136), was second team academic all-district and honorable mention all-conference. Lee more than quadrupled his scoring average to 15.9. Forward Dustin Bremerman (Fr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) was the GNAC Freshman of the Year, averaging 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds. Bremerman torched Alaska Fairbanks for 30 points in the final week, hitting five treys.

Camps around the corner. Along with recruiting, Hironaka and his staff are preparing for the annual summertime Falcon Basketball Camps for boys in grades 4-10. Camp sessions are June 28-July 2 and July 12-16 and the cost is $150.
For registration forms, click here.

Center Chris Cohen is the the lone graduating senior from this year's team.

So long, Chris. The only player making an exit is fifth-year center Chris Cohen (Sr., 6-8, Saint Helens, Or.), the lone graduating senior. Cohen was the last remaining tie to the 2000 team which reached the Final Four and is a three-time academic all-conference selection. He played in all 27 games, shooting 52 percent from the field and 76 percent at the line while averaging 3.6 points and 9.4 minutes. Cohen started his final game, punctuating it with only his second career three-pointer.

Creating calendars. It’s possible that the Falcons’ schedule will expand to 28 games next season. They will be involved in four tournaments, including one in Hawaii, for which they are granted an extra date. Initial drafts of the schedule have SPU hosting Chico State and Cal State San Bernardino in the Wilcox Farms Tip-Off Classic Nov. 19-20. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, it will play Hillsdale (Mi.), Shippensburg State (Pa.) and Hawaii Hilo on the Big Island. Prior to Christmas is the High Desert Classic in Las Vegas, followed by the Oak Harbor Freightlines Holiday Classic at home, in which Wisconsin Parkside will visit Brougham Pavilion. The GNAC opener will be at home Dec. 2 versus Seattle U., and the regular season wraps at Connolly Center Mar. 5.

Battery of tests. Despite playing perhaps the toughest schedule in the GNAC (10 games vs. playoff teams), Seattle Pacific persevered and fared better than the league coaches’ predicted preseason finish of seventh place. Chivers and Lee anchored a formidable inside/outside game on offense and, by averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game, the Falcons compensated for some weakness on the defensive end. The average yield of 78.9 points per game was the most allowed since 1988-89. Of the losses, six were by five or fewer points and 10 by eight or less. None was by more than 12. Experience began to pay dividends down the stretch, with SPU prevailing in three of the final four games deciding by five or fewer points, including two on the road.

SPU Coaching Staff. In his first season Jeff Hironaka won more games (16) than all but one other first-year SPU coach. A former aide at Idaho State and The Master’s, Hironaka became Ken Bone’s top assistant 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 times, including a Final Four advancement in 2000. Hironaka is the second Japanese-American head coach of a four-year collegiate program...As both coach and player, Ben Scheffler has been associated with seven NCAA tournament teams. The staff’s top assistant, Scheffler started three seasons at guard and later served on Bone’s staff from 1998-01. He was a volunteer assistant at Washington in 2001-02. Scott Reid joins the staff following two years as KingCo coach of the year at Bellevue’s Newport High School. George Parker who first served as a volunteer assistant in 1986, returns for his 15th year. Dan Barfoot serves as graduate assistant and Maurice Cato, starting point guard the past two years, is student assistant.

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.