On the road again. Gentleman, start up the vans. Yep, for the seventh and eighth times in 10 games, Seattle Pacific University will be playing men’s basketball games on the road this week. The 6th-ranked Falcons (1-0, 9-1) begin the New Year by going for their fifth straight win Wednesday night (Jan. 5) with a Great Northwest Athletic Conference game at Western Oregon (1-1, 6-5). They take their last scheduled trip to Humboldt State (1-1, 7-3) Saturday (Jan. 7) before returning home to host Alaska Fairbanks Jan. 12.

Seattle’s other top-10 team. A top-10 team. Only one loss. They reside in Seattle. Operating in the shadow of its purple and gold-clad neighbor four miles to the west, the Falcons are quietly growing in stature. Picked fourth in the GNAC preseason poll, SPU has surprised some by going undefeated against NCAA Division II opposition (7-0 versus West Region teams) and earning a national ranking. The peers of coach Jeff Hironaka believed Seattle Pacific would be hindered by the loss its top two scorers from last season. Not so. The team has matched its best start in 11 years despite playing only four of its first 10 games at home.

Any which way. How does Hironaka’s squad do it? It depends. The last two wins were exact opposites. In a rematch of last spring’s first round NCAA tournament game, SPU proved gritty (only nine second-half baskets) in getting a 69-66 win at Cal Poly Pomona. It was the fifth time in seven games that the opposition had been held to 70 or fewer points. In the GNAC opener last week, the Falcons erupted for 67 points–in the second half–of a 124-107 victory over Northwest Nazarene. It tied for the program’s second-highest scoring total.

Dustin’s bustin’. After a relatively quiet half-dozen games, Dustin Bremerman (Sr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) broke out the noisemakers over the holidays. Following a three-game stretch in which he managed to score just 23 points, Bremerman busted loose, beginning in the final few minutes at Pomona. He scored six of the team’s final eight points, including the go-ahead basket with 1:44 left, and finished with 20 points–his highest output in more than a month. Against NNU, Bremerman exploded for 23 of his career-high 38 points in the second half as the Falcons came from eight points down. It also tied for the fifth-highest scoring total in SPU history. In the two games he made 21 of 32 field goals and 12 of 13 free throws. Bremerman, now with three 30-plus games this season, is third in the GNAC, averaging 18.2 points.

Mister December. If there was a team MVP for December, a strong argument could be made for awarding it to sixth man Mike Bushmaker (Sr., 6-7, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower). Playing the best ball of his career, Bushmaker provided whatever was needed at the two post positions over the six games, averaging 11.2 points in 19.8 minutes and shooting 65.6 percent. He closed his 2005 account with a career-high 20 points (8-10 FGs), four assists and eight boards versus Northwest Nazarene. Bushmaker rates fourth in the conference in field-goal accuracy at .636, and he has scored in double figures four of the last five outings.

Point men. One reason the Falcons have gone forward despite losing two keys players is the strong play at point guard. Tony Binetti (Sr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) was superb last month, picking up some scoring slack (averaging 18.1 points during December). Although his primary role is playmaking, Binetti exercised with good shot selection, hitting 63 percent from the field, including 15 of 24 three-pointers. At times, Hironaka has gone small, playing at least three guards, including backup point guard Jared Moultrie (Jr., 6-2, West Point, Ut./Clearfield-Salt Lake CC). In one of the highest-scoring games in team history, it was the defensive play of Moultrie which helped SPU seize control. After the Crusaders’ Ryan McCarthy hit 8-11 treys in the first 30 minutes, Moultrie’s tight guarding limited him to just three attempts (all misses) the rest of the way. Moultrie also had seven of the team-record 38 assists plus five steals and five points. He averaged 22.5 minutes during the month.

Interesting matchups. This week’s games provide some interesting matchups. The Falcons, who have shot 55 percent from the field over the last four games, meet a Western Oregon team which allows opponents to hit a league-best 49 percent. Meanwhile, SPU opponents are hitting just 43 percent and Wolves 46 percent. At Humboldt, Robbie Will (So., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea-Bellevue CC) and the Lumberjacks’ Kevin Johnson (20.0 points, 10.1 rebounds) will do battle under the basket. HSU is the most stingy defensive team in the GNAC, allowing just 68.1 points and 42 percent shooting.

Put-backs. Seattle Pacific shot a season-high 63.3 percent vs. NNU and its 50 field goals was a new record, erasing a 40-year-old mark of 49. Despite the fast-paced nature of the game, only 19 three-pointers were attempted by SPU–just one shy of the season low–and only 12 turnovers were committed. The 38 assists was also a GNAC single game record, breaking the old mark of 36 set in ‘88-89 and tied last season... The 124 points was the most since the record of 128 was set in ‘98-99, and Bremerman’s output was the highest by a player in over seven years...Jeff Knudson (Sr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) passed for a career-high six assists in 14 minutes vs. NNU...The GNAC was the only Div. II conference with all of its members posting winning records in non-league play...Seattle Pacific is No. 3 in conference free throw shooting (.746), field-goal accuracy (.494), blocked shots (3.90) and field-goal percentage defense (.428), but ninth in rebounding (-1.7). Individually, Bremerman is No. 1 in free throw accuracy (.941) while Will leads in blocks (2.30). Binetti is No. 3 in three-point percentage (.512) and No. 4 in assists (4.9)...The Falcons have outscored opponents by an average of 5.4 points in the second half this season...SPU dropped one spot to No. 6 in the national rankings of Dec. 20. The next poll is Jan. 10.

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.