Steady progression. Now that another generation of players has gotten a taste of March Madness, the Seattle Pacific University men’s basketball program has both the aptitude and the appetite to reach the NCAA tournament again and again. The Falcons came closest to knocking off eventual West Region champion Cal Poly Pomona, and next season they may well prove to be the team to beat in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Three starters and a total of nine lettermen are due to return from the squad which was 20-9 in 2004-05.

Key pieces in place. Coach Jeff Hironaka managed to get a team into the playoffs in fewer years than either Les Habegger or Ken Bone, the program’s two most successful coaches. And like them, Hironaka hopes to build off that initial success and advance further and further in the bracket. Despite losing three quality seniors to graduation, several key pieces remain in place. Point guard Tony Binetti (Jr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.), who received honorable mention all-GNAC, scored in double figures 17 of the final 20 games and hit 48 percent of his three-pointers. Dustin Bremerman (So., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) has proven to be a versatile scoring threat and led the way with 20 points in the season-ending 82-77 loss to Pomona. Binetti and Bremerman both averaged over 13 points. Another returning starter is Chad Williams (Jr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Whatcom CC), the squad’s No. 2 rebounder (5.7).

Big shoes to fill. Still, Hironaka has got his work cut out. He loses his top two scorers, plus his highest-scoring nonstarter. Two-time all-region center Jason Chivers (Sr., 6-8, Los Angeles, Ca./Highland-L.A. Trade Tech) is practically irreplaceable. Chivers averaged 9.4 rebounds over his three seasons and was the team’s top scorer this year (15.7). Jordan Lee (Sr., 6-1, Tacoma, Wa./Life Christian) and Ralph Steele (Sr., 6-2, No. Birmingham, Al./Huffman-Citrus JC) were quality guards. Lee averaged 15 points in two seasons as a starter while Steele established new season and career free throw percentage records. Together, the three seniors accounted for 45 percent of the offense.

Where there’s a Will. Hironaka has signed four recruits and will plug the gap left inside by Chivers’ departure with redshirt sophomore Robbie Will (6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea-Bellevue CC). Two years ago, Will averaged 13.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocked shots as freshman at BCC. Further bolstering the frontline is Rob Diederichs, a 6-8 league most valuable player from Seattle’s Shorewood High. Diederichs averaged 23.8 points for the Thunderbirds to go along with 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He earned MVP honors in the state all-star game after scoring 23 points. The backcourt will be replenished through the addition of transfer Brian Lynch, a 6-foot guard from Montana, and freshman Adam Wardell. Lynch started four games for the Grizzlies as a sophomore, and led Montana prep players with a scoring average of 26.8 points at Great Falls High School. Wardell, a 6-2 guard from Sedro Woolley, was the Northwest League MVP, averaging 20.5 points and 6.2 assists. He led the Cubs to seventh in the state 3A tournament.

The kids are all right. With experience at the point, size in the middle, a proven scorer in Bremerman and plenty of depth, the Falcons figure to contend for the GNAC crown and another postseason berth in 2005. Like this past season, Hironaka will put his squad to some early-season tests. SPU visits both BYU and New Mexico in preseason exhibitions. Before conference play begins, there are non-conference meetings with Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Monterey Bay and Hawaii Pacific at home. Road games include Cal State L.A., Cal State Dominguez Hills, a rematch with Cal Poly Pomona, plus two games at the High Desert Classic. The first GNAC game is Dec. 29 at home against Northwest Nazarene, the new travel partner.

For the record. A year after setting a new school season record for free throw accuracy, Steele got the career mark as well. He finished his two seasons at .912, supplanting Evert Sutphin (1967-69/.889). The single game assists record of 36 was tied vs. Puget Sound. The combined 233 points in that game was also a new standard. Chivers finished No. 5 in career rebounds, No. 7 in field goal percentage (.560) and No. 3 in blocks (130). Bremerman’s foul line mark of .879 rates No. 4 all-time and was also fourth in the NCAA this season. Chivers was 14th in rebounding (10.2). The team, which led the nation in free throw accuracy in 2004, was 13th this season (.762). It was sixth in field-goal percentage (.501).

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.