Only the beginning. 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 No. 3-ranked Falcons focus their sights on a national championship. The NCAA Division II runner-up begins the long path back to the national title game with an exhibition at Gonzaga Saturday afternoon (Nov. 12) before the opening regular season game at home next Tuesday night (Nov. 15) versus Kirkland’s Northwest University. SPU hosts the Sodexho Tip-Off Classic Nov. 18-19 at Brougham Pavilion.

Birds have van Beek. While the Falcons feature four returning starters, the bench looks altogether different. Julie van Beek is the new head coach. A Northwest native and successful coach at the NAIA level, van Beek replaces Gordy Presnell, who resigned 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 last season.

Here we go again. Not only does van Beek inherit one of the strongest programs in the nation, she has a cast quite 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 straight West Region crown and third consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title. Seattle Pacific has been installed as the GNAC preseason favorite and matched its best preseason ranking at No. 3 in the USA Today/ESPN/WBCA coaches poll.

Solid core. There are solid grounds for optimism since van Beek can draw upon three key players who have won 89 of 94 games during their careers. Mandy Wood (Sr., 5-6, Port Angeles, Wa.) is the top returning scorer (11.4) and career leader in three-point shooting. Wood was also the regional tournament MVP. The starting frontline returns intact. Carli (Smith) Grant (Sr., 5-11, Spokane, Wa./Valley Christian) was the first player to average a double-double (10.8 points, 10.1 rebounds) in 13 seasons. Grant’s on pace to become the conference’s first player to surpass 1000 points and boards. Center Brittney Kroon (Sr., 6-4, Wasilla, Ak.) topped the conference in both blocked shots (4.0) and field-goal accuracy (.569). Jenny Poe (Sr., 5-8, Enumclaw, Wa.) is the emotional leader, defensive stopper and an improved offensive threat. Among the four key losses from last season is point guard and GNAC player of the year Amy Taylor.

Change can be good. The heir-apparent at point guard is Beth Christensen (So., 5-5, Enumclaw, Wa.), a gritty competitor who is an excellent defender and playmaker. A vital component to the success of the last three seasons has been the depth. Two Div. I transfers and a talented freshman should help keep it that way. Jackie Hollands (So., 5-9, Oregon City, Or.) is an excellent perimeter shooter from Washington. Jessie Menkens (Jr., 5-10, Battle Ground, Wa./Prairie) made the move from Pacific (Ca.) after starting 39 games for the Tigers. Autumn Fielding (Jr., 5-9, Kennewick, Wa.) is yet another capable scorer for the wing and Rachel Strand (Jr., 6-0, Shoreline, Wa./King’s) was a solid understudy to Grant. Redshirt Lexi Schaar (Fr., 6-4, Crookston, Mn./Crookston) and Kelsey Hill (Fr., 6-2, Portland, Or./Portland Christian) are raw talents in the post.

Ain’t broke. Will the casual observer notice much difference in the Falcons under van Beek? Probably not. But opposing coaches might. The new coach plans to mix defenses and, offensively, emphasize the post game. Together, Grant and Kroon shot 55 percent yet scored only 20.3 points. The latter number figures to rise. Still, the hallmarks of a running game with plenty of three-pointers should be the norm.

Put-backs. Saturday’s game will be aired live in the Spokane area on Comcast channel 15. The two teams have scrimmaged in past preseasons, including last year...Grant will be making her lone collegiate appearance in her hometown Saturday. She married Landen Grant, formerly a player at Montana State Northern...The Falcons met Oregon’s George Fox in a Nov. 8 scrimmage in Seattle...SPU got the nod over Western Washington in the GNAC coaches poll by a slim overall margin of 101-97 in points. The Falcons got six first-place votes and the Vikings four. Western is No. 14 in the WBCA preseason poll and Chico State, last season’s regional runner-up, was No. 16. The Wildcats and Falcons meet Dec. 9 in Bellingham...Conference play will begin Dec. 29 at Central Washington, followed by a 5 p.m. New Year’s Eve date with Western in Bellingham...Seattle Pacific has made 10 straight postseason appearances and gone 11 times in the last 12 years...The Falcons have won 18 consecutive home openers and 31 in a row at Brougham Pavilion, dating back to the 2003 NCAA tournament...Kroon, who has blocked 300 shots in her first three seasons, was the Honda Inspiration Award winner last summer. The award is presented annually to the collegiate woman athlete who has overcome great physical adversity to contribute to the success of her team. Kroon underwent liver transplant surgery prior to her freshman season...The Falcons were listed among the 2004-05 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).

Coaching Staff. Julie van Beek is in her first year as the Falcons’ head coach after building Nashville’s Trevecca Nazarene into an NAIA national power. After starting the program from scratch, van Beek’s last six squads reached the playoffs, including a national quarterfinal appearance in 2005. In nine years at the helm her record was 162-119. She is a native of Nampa, Id., and played at Northwest Nazarene. Michelle Skyles is the top assistant, having moved from a similar position at Eastern Washington. Skyles coached Jerome to the Idaho state 4A title in 2004. Sasha Anderson joins the staff following five years as head coach at Snohomish County Christian.

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.