The Falcons Online -- Seattle Pacific University Athletics

An End To SPU Era? More Of The Same Likely
4 Starters Give van Beek A Solid Cast For ‘05-06
July 18, 2005

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Seattle Pacific was duly voted the No. 2 spot in the final national poll. SPU moved up one place from its pre-Elite Eight position while Shaw, previously the top-ranked team, slid to No. 3. It’s the third straight season that the Falcons have finished among the top ten nationally. A year ago, they were No. 3 and No. 8 in 2003. Six of this season’s record-tying 30 wins were against teams which finished among the top 25...After rejecting 17 shots during the Elite Eight, Kroon finished with 131–just four shy of her SPU and GNAC record of 135, set in 2004. The Falcons were listed among the NCAA team leaders in field-goal percentage defense (6th/.342), scoring margin (7th/19.3), free throw percentage (7th/.776), rebound margin (8th/8.6) and scoring (15th/78.0)...Smith and Kroon fueled a second-half comeback in the title game, when a 24-point deficit was sliced to eight in the final seven minutes. Smith and Kroon each scored 14 points, and Smith also had 13 rebounds...Smith became the first player to average a double double since Tosca Lindberg in 1992. She married Landen Grant July 2. Grant finished his playing career at Montana State Northern last season...Kroon raised her career record for blocks to 300. A total of 11 team records were tied or broken, the most notworthy being the free throw percentage of .776 (old mark was .753)...Smith’s rebound total of 332 ranks No. 2 and she goes into her final season at No. 6 on the career list. Kroon’s field-goal percentage of .569 ties for No. 2 all-time...Next season’s schedule begins with a four-game homestand involving non-conference dates with Northwest, Biola, Minnesota State Moorhead and Lewis-Clark State. Before GNAC play begins in late December there are road tournament bouts with Chico State, Sonoma State, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Bakersfield...Presnell’s legacy is impressive. He inherited a program which had not a winning record in nine years and posted 18 consecutive winning seasons, including 89-5 overall and 53-1 in GNAC play the last three years.

Change at the top. Some of the familiar faces will be gone, yet somehow Seattle Pacific University’s coming women’s basketball season figures to feature more of the same as the Falcons focus their sights on a national championship. SPU lost its most honored player and iconic coach after reaching the NCAA championship game in 2005, but four starters are back to take another run at a 30-win season and trip to the Elite Eight.

Birds have van Beek. Seattle Pacific selected Julie van Beek as its new head coach July 11. A Northwest native and successful coach at the NAIA national level, van Beek replaces Gordy Presnell, who resigned June 3 to accept the Boise State job. Presnell was a two-time national coach of the year and won 396 games in 18 seasons, taking SPU to the NCAA tournament 10 times in the last 11 years, including three Elite Eights. Van Beek was 192-116 in nine years at Nashville’s Trevecca Nazarene, and her team reached the national quarterfinals this season. She is expected to make her first public appearance during the Falcon Basketball Camp for Girls July 25.

A solid core. Not only does van Beek inherit one of the strongest programs in the nation, she has a cast capable of going to the Elite Eight once again. SPU advanced to the NCAA title game for the first time last season before bowing to Washburn, 70-53, in a nationally-televised contest. The Falcons finished 30-3 and won their second West Region crown in a row and third straight Great Northwest Athletic Conference title. Four starters and a total of eight letterwinners are back in ‘05-06. Three key players were lost to graduation and another opted to leave the sport. Mandy Wood (Jr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) is the top returning scorer (11.4). The starting frontline of Carli Smith (Jr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian), Jenny Poe (Jr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) and center Brittney Kroon (Jr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) will return intact.

Getting there. The gritty character displayed by the Falcons throughout the season was evident again at the Elite Eight. With their shooting touch absent for the most part, defense ruled the day in victories over Grand Valley State (73-64) and Merrimack (67-55). SPU converted just 33 percent from the field in Arkansas but held opponents to just 34 percent and was a plus-10 in rebounding. It shot a team record 26 of 28 (93 percent) at the foul line against Merrimack. In two previous trips to the Elite Eight, SPU had lost its opening game. Amy Taylor (Sr., 5-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood) was voted to the Elite Eight all-tournament team.

And one. Jackie Hollands, a former all-state player from Oregon City, is transferring from Washington and becomes the third new recruit. Hollands, a 5-9 guard, was an honorable mention prep All-American at Oregon City, which won its fourth straight Oregon 4A title and was ranked No. 4 in the nation during her senior season. Hollands played in nine games for the Huskies as a freshman, averaging 1.4 points per game. Two high school seniors, guard Ashley Fenimore and center Kelsey Hill, committed earlier.

Most inspirational. Kroon received the Honda Inspiration Award last month during a ceremony in New York. Presented annually to the collegiate women athlete who has overcome great physical adversity to contribute to the success of her team, the Inspiration Award was among those given at the Collegiate Women’s Sports Awards board dinner. Kroon averaged career highs of 9.5 points and 7.1 rebounds, and finished No. 2 nationally in blocked shots (3. 94). The recipient of a liver transplant in 2002, she has been a finalist for the V Foundation Comeback Award each of the last two years. A history major with a 3.74 grade point average, Kroon was also voted an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII selection this season.

Holes to fill. Most of the holes in the rotation for next season involve backcourt and wing positions. Taylor had run the point superbly for two seasons, and Trisha Hermanson (Sr., 5-6, Buckley, Wa./White River) was a solid reserve. Michelle Beaumont (Sr., 5-11, Bellingham, Wa./Sehome) finished among the the school’s top 15 career scorers with 1070 points. Also departing is forward Quinn Brewe (Fr., 6-1, Lynnwood, Wa./Meadowdale), a key frontline reserve who has decided not to return. Brewe did not request a release to play elsewhere. Brewe, the state 3A player of the year in 2004, played in 28 games, averaging 5.5 points and 5.4 rebounds. Van Beek will be hiring a new assistant as well. Jamie Craighead accepted a position with Portland State prior to Presnell’s departure.

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