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Many happy returns. It’s time to give back, yet that phrase takes a different connotation with the Seattle Pacific University men’s basketball team during these holidays. The Falcons (4-4) are determined to no longer be on the business end of some hardwood beatings, and their first opportunity comes Wednesday night (Dec. 20) at Utah’s Dixie State (9-6). Following a brief break for Christmas, SPU returns from a four-game road trip to host the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic Dec. 29-30. It faces Pennsylvania’s Cheyney (2-5) in the first round and Dixie State in the final game of 2006. Great Northwest Athletic Conference play begins Jan. 4 in Anchorage.

The harder they fall. A week that began with a top-four national ranking ended with a thud. The Falcons fell and fell hard in their first three games of the 12-day road trip. A team known for its shooting ability went positively chilly, shooting just 43 percent in losses to Cal State San Bernardino (86-66), No. 3 Central Missouri (71-60) and No. 15 Rollins (88-75). Not only is it the longest losing skein in three years, the margin at San Bernardino was the biggest against an NCAA Division II opponent since 1998-99. The last four-game losing streak was in ‘96-97.

Straight shooting. Without question, Coach Jeff Hironaka has assembled two things: a very demanding early-season schedule and a team of gifted shooters. Yet shooting is often said to be 50 percent mechanics and 50 percent mental, i.e confidence. And right now the SPU arsenal may be lacking the latter. A cold snap began late in San Bernardino and generally extended until the final stages of the Rollins game. The Falcons have won 23 straight when shooting 50 percent or better, but they have yet to prove they can win ugly, going 0-4 when shooting under that plateau this season. While there is no dishonor in losing to quality opposition, Hironaka believes his team had fundamental problems (a total of 40 turnovers in the first two games) and too little attention to defense and rebounding; opponents shot 51 percent from the field and were a plus-19 on the boards.

There’s the Rob. If there was a bright spot last week, it was the continued maturation of sixth man Rob Diederichs (Fr., 6-8, Shoreline, Wa./Shorewood). In the last outing, Diederichs scored a season-high 21 points, with 16 coming in the final 12 minutes. He connected on 5 of 8 three-pointers and 8-13 overall, and also had four assists. For the week Diederichs totaled 44 points and hit 16-24. He’s averaging 12.2 points and shooting 57 percent from the field and 41 percent on treys. The latter two both rank second in the squad.

The word’s out. One problem with scoring 43 points and giving opponents 10 days to deal with it: Foes tend to prepare a strategy to keep it from happening to them. That might explain why Dustin Bremerman (Sr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) found tough going last week. Coming off a career high and nine three-pointers Dec. 2, Bremerman was greeted with tenacious defense in California and Nevada. He was held to nine points and 3-10 field goals at San Bernardino. He was effective and scored 17 versus Central Missouri, but was subpar again against Rollins, missing nine of 14 attempts. Nevertheless, Bremerman moved up to No. 5 in career scoring (1405). With another 126, he will leapfrog to No. 3 all-time.

Basics. A solid recipe for winning basketball is a balanced offense. Statistically speaking, good teams shoot more free throws than three-pointers, whether a coach is blessed with long-bombers or not. Last week, the Falcons made just 30 trips to the foul line, yet they shot 82 times from outside the arc. No doubt, Hironaka will emphasize getting the ball inside, be it via the drive or entry passes into the post. Center Rob Will (Jr., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea) is a formidable force, and has made 59 percent of his field goals.

Put-backs. As a result of the three straight defeats, SPU went into a freefall in the national rankings, dropping out for the first time this season after rising to No. 4. Three of the losses this season are to teams currently in the top 25, and the Falcons own wins over No. 19 BYU Hawaii and No. 22 Cal Poly Pomona...This marks the 12th Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic. Seattle Pacific has won 15 of 18 games played...Howard Heppner (1521) and Jim Ballard (1530) are next on the career scoring ladder for Bremerman. Both are members of the Falcon Legends Hall of Fame, as is record-holder Loren Anderson (1948)...The San Bernardino score was close until the Coyotes went on an 18-0 run with five minutes left. It was the biggest loss since an 88-66 loss at Alaska Anchorage in ‘98-99 (SPU lost to D-I Nevada, 83-57, last season). SPU was tight with Central Missouri before a brief second-half 9-1 spurt by the Mules forged an 11-point lead...The 38 threes attempted vs. Rollins was the most since the record of 47 was set in 1998-99. The eight free throws attempted at San Bernardino is the fewest since taking seven at Nevada...Drew Matzen (Sr., 6-4, Bothell, Wa./Lynnwood) connected on 5 of 8 treys, scored 17 points and had five assists at CSSB...Opponents are hitting 38.8 percent of their threes, tying SPU for last in the GNAC, and the Falcons are ninth in turnover (-2.1) and rebounding margin (-3.8). Individually, Will is the shot-blocking leader (2.1) and is No. 5 in field-goal percentage...This is the first regular season stop in Utah since 1992-93 (Utah State) and the team’s only Utah native, Jared Moultrie (Sr., 6-2, West Point, Ut./Clearfield/Salt Lake CC) is not going. Moultrie underwent knee surgery last week to repair a torn ACL sustained in the opening game...Both games with Dixie State can be heard live on the Web. The Cheyney game will be Webcast also.

SPU Coaches. 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. Hironaka broke new ground again in 2006, as his team reached the Final Four, winning both GNAC and regional titles, and he was voted the West Region Coach of the Year. His record entering this season is 76-39.

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.