Holiday lights. Since the Strip is usually decorated with flashing lights 24/7, it’s difficult to determine precisely when Las Vegas goes into Christmas mode. A couple telltale signs are the chorus line dancers and casino greeters wearing Santa suits, and when 16 top men’s basketball teams from the Division II ranks descend from the skies for the High Desert Classic. And Seattle Pacific University will be among the latter this weekend when action gets under way at the McDermott Center on the UNLV campus. The Falcons (6-2) seek their fifth straight win when they meet Cal State Bakersfield (2-2) Saturday afternoon (Dec. 18). The final contest prior to Christmas is Sunday (Dec. 19) against Central Missouri (5-0). SPU will host the Oak Harbor Freightlines Holiday Classic Dec. 29-30.

Impressive bunch. Oh sure, it’s impressive to see pirate ships exploding hourly and a New York skyline re-created in the middle of the desert. But what does Vegas offer during daylight hours? How about eight games daily of holiday hoops, featuring five nationally-ranked teams and several more unbeatens. Among them is No. 2 Rollins (Fl.). Seattle Pacific, off to its best start in three seasons, should be able to holds its own. The Falcons are co-leaders in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and, although they have yet to hit on all cylinders, erupted for a season-high score in beating Pacific Lutheran, 95-51, in their last outing. It was the third game scoring 90 or more points during the four-game win streak.

Inside job. SPU certainly has the capability to score from long range, but last week’s win was an inside job. More than half of the team’s field goals came on layups and tips, and delivering most of the goods was center Jason Chivers (Sr., 6-8, Los Angeles, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech). Virtually scoring at will, Chivers converted six straight close-range shots to get things going early. He scored 23 first-half points and finished with 25 in 22 minutes. Chivers, an all-region selection as a junior, is the squad’s top scorer (15.0) and the leading rebounder (10.5) in the GNAC. Left-handed with the wing span of a 7-footer, he continues to improve in only his fourth full year of organized basketball.

Man of Steele. With starting point guard Tony Binetti (Jr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) in street clothes due to an ankle sprain, a couple of other guards got a chance to play additional minutes versus PLU. Making the most of the opportunity was Ralph Steele (Sr., 6-2, No. Birmingham, Al./Huffman-Citrus JC), who scored 17 of his season-high 19 points in the second half. Steele connected on three of the Falcons’ nine three-pointers and has averaged 12.3 points in the last four games. Matt Birkle (So., 6-2, Anacortes, Wa./Anacortes/Whatcom CC) started in Binetti’s place and had seven points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Binetti, who suffered the injury in practice, is expected back this week.

Yet to come. Sure enough, just as Coach Jeff Hironaka said prior to the season, the Falcons have shown little difficulty in putting points on the scoreboard. Despite a difficult early-season schedule, they are averaging 81.5 points, shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 41 percent on threes. Defensively, SPU has held its last four foes to 67 points per game. Still, there are areas to improve, namely rebounding and consistent contributions by its key players. Opponents won the battle of the boards in two of the last three games. Offensively–partly due to improved production by Binetti, Steele, Chad Williams (Jr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington Edison-Whatcom CC) and Dustin Bremerman (So., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower)–Jordan Lee (Sr., 6-1, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian) has been less assertive. After averaging 16.8 points in the first six games, he has taken just 11 shots from the field in the last two. Williams and Bremerman, who combined for 29 points vs. Northwest Nazarene, totaled just six attempts collectively against the Lutes as reserves outscored the starters 52-43.

Put-backs. Jeff Knudson (Jr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) sank a season-best three treys in five attempts vs. PLU...Career scoring highs were achieved by Drew Matzen (So., 6-4, Bothell, Wa./Lynnwood) with nine points, Austin Yuen (So., 5-8, Mercer Island, Wa.) and Tim Gabelein (So., 6-6, Langley, Wa./South Whidbey), each with five....This is the Falcons sixth trip to the High Desert Classic, where they have gone 6-4...Dating back to late last season, the Falcons have won 11 of their last 15 regular season games...SPU has started 4-0 at Brougham Pavilion for the first time since 1996-97...During the current win string, SPU is shooting 45 percent (32-71) on threes...Seattle Pacific has made over 50 percent of its field goals in each win this season and is 16-3 when doing so over the past two seasons...Seattle Pacific’s 8.5 treys per game is third in the GNAC as is its accuracy of .410. The Falcons are No. 2 in field-goal percentage (.495) and No. 3 in scoring (81.5) and defensive field-goal percentage (.405). Individually, Chivers leads the conference in rebounding (10.5) and is seventh in scoring (15.0). Binetti is No. 4 in assists (4.4) and eighth in field-goal percentage (.542), Bremerman is fifth in assists (3.8). Lee is third in three-point accuracy (.537) and eighth in scoring (13.8). Steele is ninth in shooting (.543) and Williams is 10th in rebounding (6.1).

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.

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.

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.