Not the end of the road. This could be the start of a beautiful relationship between a ballclub and the travel industry. Seattle Pacific University will go on the road this week for the first two of what will hopefully be a long string of games away from home. The Falcons (11-5, 19-7) are pursuing a berth in the NCAA Division II men’s basketball tournament and further travel in March as they stop first at Northwest Nazarene (9-7, 15-10) Thursday night (Mar. 3) and then complete the regular season Saturday night (Mar. 5) across town at Seattle University (6-10, 11-14). Postseason berths will be announced Sunday evening and the West Regional is set to begin Mar. 11.

Nearly clinched. While it’s possible that SPU has already accumulated enough points in the various power ratings to warrant a place in the playoffs, Coach Jeff Hironaka has never, ever, taken anything for granted. He hopes his players are still hungry. Hungry for a possible shot at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship, hungry for a 20-win season and hungry to enter the postseason with plenty of momentum. The Falcons and Alaska Fairbanks trail Western Washington by one in the GNAC standings and SPU was No. 4 in the region. Hawaii Hilo is No. 1 in the West and finished the regular season at 24-3. However, a late run by Western could possibly bring the tournament to Bellingham. Eight teams from the region will earn berths.

Come together, everybody. It’s been awhile since Seattle Pacific has put it all together, getting solid performances at both ends of the court, from both the starters and reserves, in both the first and second halves. When the Falcons are firing on a cylinders, they are capable of beating anyone, anywhere. So they might as well start playing that way now. SPU has a collection of exceptional shooters. It ranks among the nation’s top 15 in both field-goal and free throw percentage. It has a top contender for GNAC player of the year, a solid supporting cast and a quality bench. Add a little fire in the belly and it’s possible this club could experience a lengthy case of March Madness.

For your consideration. Soon the ballots will be due for the assorted conference and regional awards, and a name which is certain to attract a hefty number of votes is that of Jason Chivers (Sr., 6-8, Los Angeles, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech). A first team all-GNAC and all-region selection as a junior, Chivers should receive consideration for league player of the year and All-America for his consistently solid and constantly improving play on the inside. He leads the team in scoring (16.1), ranks 13th in the NCAA in rebounding (10.2) and is third in GNAC field-goal percentage (.593). Last week, Chivers posted his 10th double-double (15 points, 19 rebounds) in a bitter-tasting, 71-69 loss to Humboldt State and just missed his 11th with 20 points and nine boards in an 82-73 win over Western Oregon. The latter included his first 3-pointer and perfect 9-for-9 shooting. Over the last two games, Chivers has made 14 consecutive field goals.

Buddy Lee. Not since an eight-game win streak back in December has SPU had its inside/outside, 1-2 punch of Chivers and Jordan Lee (Sr., 6-1, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian) clicking such as now. Lee extended his hot spell to three games with 27 points against Humboldt. He then provided three key baskets and eight points in the final seven minutes of the comeback victory over the Wolves. Over the last four games, Lee has averaged 19.3 points while shooting 55 percent. In the classroom, he’s also a standout. His grade point average of 3.75 led all members of the academic all-GNAC team, and he also was a repeat selection to the academic all-district team.

Smart guys, huh? Some of Seattle Pacific’s success on the court can be attributed to not only the physical talents but also the intelligence of the players. A telling sign of the latter is that the Falcons, who have a collective GPA of 3.11, led all teams with six players named academic all-conference. Lee, a three-time honoree and Christian theology major, was joined by repeat selections Tony Binetti (Jr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) and Jeff Knudson (Jr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak), plus Drew Matzen (So., 6-4, Bothell, Wa./Lynnwood), Chad Williams (Jr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Edison-Whatcom CC) and Dustin Bremerman (So., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower). No other GNAC team had more than three representatives. To be eligible for the GNAC team, players must have a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or higher, be in their second season of play and appear in at least half of all games.

Put-backs. SPU fell from the national rankings after a six-week stay, and is now listed with nine votes...Williams provided timely sparks and scored a career-high 21 points vs. WOU. He had four points during a 12-2 run which erased a 9-point deficit in the second half...Bremerman popped for 21 points vs. Humboldt...Binetti grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds vs. the Lumberjacks. In that game, SPU shot 35.7 percent, second-wrost this season...Chivers moved up to No. 5 in career rebounding (737) and No. 7 in field-goal percentage. He remains No. 3 in blocked shots. He needs 100 points to become the only three-year letterman to reach the career scoring top 10...Humboldt State, which earned its first pavilion win with a buzzer-beating trey, became the first foe to out-score SPU in the second half in 16 games. In the last 17 games, the Falcons have scored 9.5 points more than opponents in the second half...SPU is now 12-1 when scoring at least 80 points. When opponents score more than 80 the record is 2-4...In the last 11 games the Falcons have shot 81.2 percent (194-239) at the foul line...Seattle Pacific has made over 50 percent of its field goals in 16 of its 19 wins this season and is 26-4 when doing so over the past two seasons...The Falcons are No. 1 in the conference and No. 13 nationally in free throw accuracy (.755). They are No. 2 GNAC field-goal percentage and ninth in the NCAA (.502). They are also No. 2 in defensive overall field goal percentage (.437) and defensive three-point percentage (.310), and No. 3 in offense (83.5). Individually, Binetti leads the conference in three-point shooting (.507, 36 of 71). He is also No. 7 in overall field-goal percentage (.549), No. 4 in assists (4.4) and No. 5 in steals (1.64)...Ralph Steele (Sr., 6-2, No. Birmingham, Al./Huffman-Citrus JC) still holds the league lead in free throw shooting (.909). Bremerman is No. 4 (.872) and No. 7 in the NCAA...Chivers is No. 2 in rebounding, No. 3 in shooting and No. 4 in blocks (1.15) and No. 8 in scoring (16.1)...Lee is seventh in three-point accuracy (.458).

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.