Let’s get it started (again). Conference play for men’s basketball resumes following a five-week break with one question: Will the momentum of Seattle Pacific University’s undefeated December arrive intact in 2005? The Falcons (2-0, 10-2), winners of eight in a row, will soon find out. They visit Central Washington (0-1, 4-6) Thursday night (Jan. 6) and Saint Martin’s (1-0, 4-6) Saturday evening (Jan. 8) before returning to Brougham Pavilion for a three-game home stand which starts Jan. 15 against Western Washington.

Style points. Seattle Pacific is off to its best start and owns the longest win streak in the three-year term of Coach Jeff Hironaka. Better still, the team has found several ways to win, be it defensive grit or clutch shooting, and done so against some formidable foes. Seven of the 10 victims own winning records and the two losses came on the road against a pair of teams (including D-I, 13th-ranked Washington) with a combined record of 24-2. How the Falcons win depends on the given day. They prevailed in a defensive struggle, 66-62, with Cal State Bakersfield prior to Christmas, and during the current win streak they have scored 90 or more points six times.

A December to remember. For those waiting and watching to see if this SPU squad is up to the standard of those in the past which have won league titles and advanced to the NCAA tournament, it’s safe to jump on the bandwagon. After a couple of holiday meltdowns the past two seasons, the Falcons rose to the occasion time and again last month. They beat previously undefeated Central Missouri (which has since won two bouts with nationally-ranked teams) on a neutral court. At hom , they parlayed strong second halves to pull away from both Wisconsin Parkside (96-78)–which had recently won at D-I Illinois-Chicago–and Puget Sound (122-111), the No. 3 team in Div. III. The latter score was a school and GNAC record for combined points (233).

Eveready Binetti. It has long been the job description of SPU point guards that they selflessly devote themselves to ballhandling, defense and feeding the hot hand. But in the case of Tony Binetti (Jr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.), he is the hottest shooter. Binetti has got the offense clicking, averaging 102.7 points in the past three outings. He’s passed for 21 assists while committing just five turnovers at that frenetic pace. But best of all, Binetti is burying his shots when called upon. In those three games he’s made 17 of 19 field goals, including 9-10 three-pointers. He’s now averaging 12.1 points and shooting a team-high 60 percent from the field–an improvement of 18 percent over a year ago.

Double trouble. Devising a plan to stop Seattle Pacific requires not only a solid set of tactics but also some luck. Teams have alternately tried to focus inside on center Jason Chivers (Sr., 6-8, Los Angeles, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech) or the perimeter threat, guard Jordan Lee (Sr., 6-1, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian) and still they get burned. Finding defenders in his face, Lee drove the lane for a season-high 28 points vs. Bakersfield. He was back outside against Puget Sound, sinking six treys and scoring 26. Last week Chivers came up big down on the blocks, totaling 39 points in 51 minutes of play and converting 19-27 shots. Lee (15.7) and Chivers (15.1) are the team’s top two season scorers. Four of the five starters average in double figures and the team, shooting 51.3 percent overall, leads the conference.

Wait, there’s more. Beyond Lee and Chivers, Seattle Pacific possesses at least three more players capable of scoring 25-30 points, plus some others who can turn the tide of a particular contest. Dustin Bremerman (So., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) joined Lee and Chivers on the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Holiday Classic all-tournament team, and he could easily have had a couple more teammates alongside. Bremerman pumped in a total of 35 points and, beyond the stats, helped break some fullcourt pressure by UPS. Reserve guards Ralph Steele (Sr., 6-2, No. Birmingham, Al./Huffman-Citrus JC) and Matt Birkle (So., 6-2, Anacortes, Wa./Anacortes-Whatcom CC) were instrumental in cutting down the Loggers over the final 30 minutes. Steele scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half and Birkle energized the team with his finishing and playmaking on the break, contributing a season-high 16 points in just 11 minutes.

Put-backs. The 122 points tied for third-highest all-time by SPU and the 36 assists also equaled a standard...The Falcons out-scored UPS and Parkside by a combined 29 points in the second half...Seattle Pacific is now 6-0 at home for the first time since going 15-0 at the pavilion in 1996-97...Steele hit all 11 of his free throws vs. UPS, making him the fifth player to shoot perfectly with 10 or more attempts. He set the season accuracy record last season and is on pace for the career mark...Lee’s eight assists vs. Wisconsin Parkside was a career-best. His half-dozen three-pointers and the four assists by Chad Williams (Jr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington Edison-Whatcom CC) vs. UPS both tied career highs...Dating back to late last season, the Falcons have won 15 of their last 19 regular season games...Seattle Pacific has made over 50 percent of its field goals in nine of its wins this season and is 19-3 when doing so over the past two seasons...The Falcons, who hit 60 percent in both games last week, are No. 1 in the conference in field-goal percentage (.513). They are No .2 in scoring (85.7), three-point shooting (.420) and defensive field-goal percentage (.419) and defensive three-point percentage (.305). After a slow start they are now No. 3 in foul shooting (.736). Individually, Steele now leads the GNAC in free throw percentage (.923). Bremerman is second in free throw accuracy (.921). Binetti is No. 2 in assists (4.9) and three-point accuracy (.531), No. 4 in field-goal percentage (.600) and No. 9 in steals (1.45). Lee is third in three-point accuracy (.523) and fifth in scoring (15.7). Steele is also fifth in shooting (.541). Chivers is No. 2 in the conference in rebounding (9.8), No. 8 in scoring (15.1) and No. 9 in blocks (1.17).

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.