Pass the ball...er, drumstick. They’ll be home for Christmas. But Thanksgiving is another matter. The Seattle Pacific University men’s basketball team will taste turkey and gravy together on the road this holiday weekend when the Falcons (2-0) venture to Los Angeles for the Cal State L.A. Thanksgiving Classic. SPU faces Cal State Dominguez Hills (0-1) in the first round Friday (Nov. 25) afternoon and host Cal State L.A. (1-1) Saturday (Nov. 26). Prior to a four-game road trip, Seattle Pacific comes home to host Hawaii Pacific Dec. 3.

They all count. Down the road a ways, these early-season, non-conference games are going to figure heavily in the postseason selection process. Among the key categories is a team’s record in the West Region and road games provide opportunities to pile up lots of points in the power rankings in particular. It would also be nice to finish with a winning November record after going a combined 4-4 the last two years

Stuff it. For the new guys, this might their first Thanksgiving away from home. For the seniors, this is nothing new. They spent the last two years passing the stuffing in Chico, Ca., and Hilo, Hi. In fact, last year the Falcons actually played on Thanksgiving Day in Hawaii. This time around, they will conduct a practice session before taking a bird to dinner. Ah, but they can take their plates out to the patio because the forecast is for a high of about 75 Thursday.

Home cooking. After experiencing a cold snap in its final two preseason games, Seattle Pacific shot the ball well in its wins over Cal State Monterey Bay (95-79) and Cal State San Bernardino (85-81). The Falcons hit 50 percent from the field, 50 percent (25-50) outside the arc and 75 percent at the foul line. They had managed to hit just 12 of 57 three-pointers in the exhibitions at BYU and New Mexico, and had shot 42 percent overall.

30/30 vision. The new Brougham Pavilion scoreboards got a good workout on the opening weekend as the Falcons racked up 180 points. The individual tote boards were put to the test as well, with Dustin Bremerman (Jr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) putting up Jeff McBroom-like numbers. In fact, with his career-high 32- and 30-point nights, Bremerman became the first player since McBroom in 1999 to score 30-plus in back-to-back games. Whether driving or dialing long distance, Bremerman was difficult to stop. He shot 65 percent, including 9-of-16 three-pointers, and made all 13 of his free throws to earn Great Northwest Athletic Conference co-player of the week.

Nice rotation. Opponents have definitely got their hands full with the Falcon guards, and at times last week Coach Jeff Hironaka was going with three on the floor to great effect. Tony Binetti (Sr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.), Brian Lynch (Jr., 6-1, Missoula, Mt./Great Falls) and Jared Moultrie (Jr., 6-2, West Point, Ut./Clearfield-Salt Lake CC) pushed the ball upcourt at every opportunity and gave defenses fits with their outside shooting. Binetti joined Bremerman on the Sodexho Tip-Off Classic all-tournament team after averaging 14.0 points, 8.0 assists (just four total turnovers) and 6.0 rebounds. Lynch tormented Monterey Bay with 18 points in just 20 minutes, canning 4-6 treys. Moultrie only contributed a total of seven points but connected on some timely threes and committed only one turnover in 49 minutes.

Big trouble. Complementing and sometimes enjoining the perimeter game was Chad Williams (Sr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Whatcom CC) who was the third all-tourney selection. Williams stepped outside for three treys, hauled down 17 rebounds and set-up seven baskets with his passing from both the high and low post. Although limited to a total of 40 minutes because of foul trouble, Robbie Will (So., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea-Bellevue CC) was effective underneath. On the defensive end he blocked five shots and on offense Will showed both finesse and power in scoring 17 points.

Thinking ahead. JoJay Jackson, a sophomore at California’s Solano Community College, signed a national letter of intent last week to play next season. Jackson, a 6-5 forward, averaged 11.7 points and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman for the Fairfield school. Through the first four games this season, he was averaging 21.0 points. During his senior year at Vallejo High School Jackson scored 17 points per game.

Put-backs. This will be the first of two trips to Southern California. A pre-Christmas junket ends at Cal Poly Pomona Dec. 21...Nevada, which the Falcons visit Dec. 13, is ranked as high as 22nd in the nation...Seven different players hit at least two three-pointers last week. Drew Matzen (Jr., 6-4, Bothell, Wa./Lynnwood), who started on the wing, was 2-2...This was the first 2-0 start since 2002-03. SPU has not gopne 4-0 since ‘98-99..In a mutual decision by both Hironaka and Matt Birkle, the reserve guard has left the program.

Coaching Staff. In his first season Jeff Hironaka won more games (16) than all but one other first-year SPU coach, and he took a team to the NCAA tournament in only his third year–faster than any predecessor. His record entering this season is 50-33. 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 conference championships and qualified for eight NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four in 2000. Hironaka is the second Japanese-American head coach of a four-year collegiate program. Brock Veltri is in his second season as the chief assistant.

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.