SEATTLE (Oct. 28) -- Seattle Pacific University is once again considered among the top contenders for Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball championship, according to the preseason coaches poll.

The Falcons, who return three starters from a squad which went 20-9 and made the NCAA Division II tournament, are ranked a close fourth. Western Washington, the defending GNAC co-champion, got all 10first-place votes. Northwest Nazarene, Alaska Anchorage, SPU and Alaska Fairbanks filled out the top half.

Back for the Falcons' fourth-year coach Jeff Hironaka are nine letter winners, including point guard Tony Binetti (Sr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) and forward Dustin Bremerman (Jr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower). Together, Binetti and Bremerman averaged over 26 points last season. Robbie Will (So., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O'Dea) takes over at center for Jason Chivers, who was all-region his final two seasons.

Among the newcomers are Brian Lynch, a transfer from Montana, and Jared Moultrie from Salt Lake Community College.

Seattle Pacific plays the Another Level Blue Angels in its first preseason exhibition Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion, then visits BYU Nov. 10 and New Mexico Nov. 12. The regular season opener is Nov. 18 at home versus Cal State Monterey Bay.

Team                   Last Year   Points
1. Western Washington (10)  22-7   110 
2. Northwest Nazarene      17-10    82 
3. Alaska Anchorage        11-16    68 
4. Seattle Pacific          20-9    62 
5. Alaska Fairbanks         21-9    59 
6. Humboldt State          16-11    57 
7. Central Washington      11-16    48 
8. Seattle                 11-16    42 
9. Western Oregon          16-11    18 
10. Saint Martin's          8-19    15 

(Note: First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on a 11-9-8-7-6-5-4--3-2-1 basis).