Maybe no waiting. Thirty-five years separated the first trip to the Elite Eight from the second, and there were just six years between the second and third. Who knows, maybe the countdown to the fourth trip will be measured in months. A talented cast of returnees and recruits could blend together and send Seattle Pacific University back to Springfield, Mass., in 2007. The Falcons finished 26-6 and advanced to the NCAA Division II men’s basketball semifinals this past season.

Cornerstones. It’s unlikely that Seattle Pacific will sneak up on anyone next season. Last fall, the squad was unranked and picked to take fourth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Next autumn, the Falcons will likely be favored to again contend for the GNAC and West Region championships. Coach Jeff Hironaka has three starters returning to the fold, including first team all-region selection Dustin Bremerman (Sr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) and the regional tournament’s MVP, center Robbie Will (So., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea). Along with Drew Matzen (Jr., 6-4, Bothell, Wa./Lynnwood) and Jared Moultrie (Jr., 6-2, West Point, Ut./Clearfield/Salt Lake CC), they provide an experienced and talented nucleus for another run at an NCAA title.

Oh, so close. Without a doubt, SPU was a championship-caliber club. First, it pulled away from 7th-ranked Montevallo for a 79-65 victory in the quarterfinals, then battled defending champion Virginia Union on even terms for 38 minutes before bowing, 68-63. Minnesota’s Winona State was the eventual champion. By advancing to the final four, the Falcons matched the best finish in the program’s history, and the 26 wins was second-most in the modern era.

Tony B. to Italy. Capping off an incredible couple months, in early May point guard Tony Binetti (Sr., 6-1, Enumclaw, Wa.) signed to finish the Italian season with defending champion ClimaMio Bologna. Binetti had finished his career as a consensus All-American (NABC and Division 2 Bulletin), the GNAC player of the year and member of the Elite Eight all-tourney team. He also earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and one of five Falcon Awards for Excellence for career achievement in athletics, academics and leadership. Binetti became the first player since Ritchie McKay in 1987 to lead the team in scoring (18.2), assists (5.1) and steals (1.8).

A quality class. Beyond the numbers, the outgoing seniors excelled in accepting their roles, enabling SPU to often exhibit textbook examples of team basketball. Besides Binetti, sixth man Mike Bushmaker (Sr., 6-7, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) became the highest-scoring nonstarter (11.6) in six seasons, converting a team-high 64 percent of his chances from the field. Chad Williams (Sr., 6-8, Burlington, Wa./Burlington-Whatcom CC) was a three-year starter at the high post, averaging 9.9 points and 4.6 boards this season. Three-point threat Jeff Knudson (Sr., 6-7, Mukilteo, Wa./Kamiak) received the 101 Scholar Athlete Award for having the highest grade point average (3.55) of any graduating four-year letterman athlete, and Tim Gabelein (Sr., 6-6, Langley, Wa./South Whidbey) provided relief at center, particularly the past two seasons.

Opportunities arise. With five seniors departing, there are several key roles open. Brian Lynch (Jr., 6-1, Missoula, Mt./Great Falls), who showed glimpses of his abilities after transferring from Montana, will get a crack at point guard, along with Moultrie and Austin Yuen (Jr., 5-8, Mercer Island, Wa.). Redshirt freshmen Adam Wardell (Fr., 6-2, Sedro Woolley, Wa.) and Rob Diederichs (Fr., 6-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood) will move into the rotation at guard and high post, respectively.

They got next. Hironaka signed three recruits toward restocking his shelves. JoJay Jackson, a 6-5 forward at California’s Solano Junior College, committed in the fall, then averaged 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds as a sophomore. Signing this spring were Filip Popovic, a 6-7 native of Serbia who played two seasons at Skyline (Ca.) Community College, and Brandon Larrieu, a 5-10 guard who was voted the Seamount League’s Pierce Division MVP after averaging 18.7 points for Franklin Pierce High School. Hironaka may still add another recruit before fall.

Camps around the corner. Hironaka and his chief assistant, Brock Veltri, are preparing for the annual summertime Falcon Basketball Camps for boys in grades 4-10. Camp sessions are July 10-13 and July 17-20 and the cost is $175. Both sessions are rapidly filling and early registration is encouraged. For forms, click on www.spu.edu/depts/athletics/sportscamps.htm.

For the record. A few notable records were rewritten, including those single-game marks for field goals (50) and assists (38) and the career standard for field-goal percentage, set by Bushmaker at .624. In addition, the team’s 124 points and Bremerman’s 38 points tied for No. 2 and 5 all-time. Both came on New Year’s Eve versus Northwest Nazarene. The Falcons came within five assists of the season record of 616 and finished ranked among the top 10 in the nation for only the third time (No. 9 in ‘65 and ‘00). Binetti’s 583 points and Bremerman’s 575 rate Nos. 4 and 6 for a season. Binetti tied the No. 5 total for assists (162) and Will’s 63 blocks matched No. 4. Bushmaker is No. 3 in field-goal accuracy (.641) and Will No. 4 (.614). Bremerman (.858) and Binetti (.849) came in seventh and 10th in free throw shooting. Finally, for a career Binetti is No. 3 in steals (171), No. 5 in assists (459) and No. 8 in scoring (1283), just ahead of Bremerman at 1268.

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.