Even previews are tough. The most grueling schedule in at least a generation awaits a promising Seattle Pacific University men’s basketball team, and the two upcoming preseason exhibitions are far from creampuffs. The Falcons host the Australia Institute of Sport at Brougham Pavilion next Saturday afternoon (Nov. 6). Looming even larger is a Nov. 13 visit to Nevada, a member of the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last spring. Regular season play commences Nov. 19 at another budding D-I power, Washington. The home opener is Nov. 20 versus Chico State.

Touted by coaches. After coming close to qualifying for the postseason the past two years, Seattle Pacific appears to have the seasoning and talent to get a taste of March Madness in 2005. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches project the Falcons to finish second to a fine Alaska Fairbanks squad, which has been ranked as high as No. 2 in one national preseason poll. The Nanooks received six first-place votes, compared to two for SPU. Western Washington and Alaska Anchorage were picked to place third and fourth.

But forget about 28-0. Not even the staunchest SPU supporter would dare dream of the Falcons going undefeated, even in November. In addition to the date with the Huskies, they will face three non-conference opponents which qualified for postseason play, plus a total of six meetings with GNAC teams coming off Div. II tournament appearances. Wedged in between six home dates in the first two months will be trips to Hawaii for a Thanksgiving tournament and Las Vegas on the weekend prior to Christmas. The conference opener is at home Dec. 2 against Seattle University. Alaska Fairbanks visits Jan. 22.

Take five. On the bright side, this could be a special season at Seattle Pacific, with all five starters returning from a squad which was in contention for a playoff berth until the final week of ‘03-04, finishing 14-13. Coach Jeff Hironaka believes he has a team which can go after the school’s first GNAC title in four years. The Falcons were NCAA postseason participants eight times from 1994-02, advancing to the Final Four in 2000.

Center of attention. A potential preseason All-American is the focal point of Hironaka’s lineup. Center Jason Chivers (Sr., 6-8, Los Angeles, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech) 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 Jim Ballard in 1973.

A solid cast. The Falcons possess plenty of offensive threats and lots of depth. Jordan Lee (Sr., 6-1, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian), who finished tied for No. 6 in national three-point shooting (50.0 percent, 68-136), averaged 15.9 points as a junior while forward Dustin Bremerman (So., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower), the GNAC Freshman of the Year, averaged 12.5 points and 4.7 rebounds. Sixth man Ralph Steele (Sr., 6-2, No. Birmingham, Al./Huffman-Citrus JC) set a school record and led the NCAA in free throw shooting at 91.1 percent and scored 10.6 per game. The team also erased its foul-shooting record, hitting 79.4 percent. The other returning starters are point guard Tony Binetti (Jr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) and forward Chad Williams (Jr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington Edison-Whatcom CC). Binetti finished No. 2 in GNAC assists/turnover ratio, No. 4 in assists (4.8) and seventh in steals (1.7). Key reserve Jeff Knudson (Jr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) hit 46 treys and averaged 7.1 points and Mike Bushmaker (Jr., 6-7, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) started nine games.

Added to the mix. Hironaka will mix-in three newcomers while two transfers will redshirt. Matt Birkle (So., 6-2, Anacortes, Wa./Anacortes-Whatcom CC) joins a competitive backcourt, along with Chris Faidley (Fr., 6-1, Seattle, Wa./King’s). Paul Brockman (Fr., 6-5, Snohomish, Wa.) could help in the frontcourt when he fully recovers from knee surgery. Robbie Will (So., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea-Bellevue CC) and Darel Lucas (Jr., 6-0, Wichita, Ks./Southeast-Binghamton) must establish their academic residency and will not be eligible until 2005-06.

Put-backs. Hironaka is high his team’s scoring capabilities, and plans to use the team’s quickness and depth to turn the screws defensively and apply pressure for 94 feet. Last season’s average yield of 78.9 points per game was the most since 1988-89...Despite a difficult schedule (10 games vs. playoff teams) six of the losses 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-UW ticket sale. Tickets go on sale Monday (Nov. 1) for the SPU-Washington game, Nov. 19 at Bank of America Arena. Visit the Husky Ticket Office in the Graves Building (next to the arena) Monday-Friday, 8:30-5 p.m.; call (206) 543-2200 or click on gohuskies.com. Prices are $10, $18 and $20 and tickets are going fast.

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. Brock Veltri is Hironaka’s chief assistant. Veltri spent two years in a similar position with Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. A former Idaho State graduate assistant, he played two years at Peninsula College in Port Angeles, Wa. Scott Reid, a King Co coach of the year at Bellevue’s Newport High School, is in his second season and George Parker, who first served as a volunteer assistant in 1986, returns for his 16th year.

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.