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Alaska awaits. Never mind the weather outdoors, it’s tough to win indoors in Alaska, and that’s exactly the challenge facing Seattle Pacific University this week as the men’s basketball team opens Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The Falcons (7-4) begin defense of their crown Thursday night (Jan. 4) against Alaska Anchorage (9-2). The scene shifts to Alaska Fairbanks (9-5) Saturday evening (Jan. 6). Next week SPU hosts Western Oregon and Western Washington.

Coming together. Nothing came easily in December. The Falcons lost three in a row at one point and their four wins were by a combined margin of 19 points. Still, it appears that Coach Jeff Hironaka has a squad which has hardened sufficiently to enter the league fray. Rarely do GNAC victories come easily, and based on the past month SPU should arrive up north well-prepared. Coming off losses to three opponents currently ranked among the top 25, Seattle Pacific twice came from behind against Utah’s Dixie State, prevailing 82-76 on the road and 71-67 at home. In between was a hard-fought, 75-71 win over Cheyney.

Tall order. The age-old formula for contenders is to win every home game and split on the road. So far, so good. SPU is 5-0 at home after claiming its own post-Christmas tournament, the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic. Away from Brougham Pavilion it is 2-4 (1-1 in true road games, 1-3 in neutral settings) and Alaska has been no paradise. The Falcons have only managed to earn a road sweep three times (1984, ‘91 and ‘99) and they have been been blanked seven times in 23 conference junkets. Combined, Anchorage and Fairbanks are 11-1 at home this season versus non-Division I opponents.

On second thought. The GNAC coaches poll was taken back before a single game had been played. That may explain why the standings bear little resemblance to the poll. Favored Central Washington is under .500 and the Alaskans, picked third and seventh, each have nine wins. Anchorage might well be the new favorite, with Seattle Pacific (originally the No. 2) among the short list of contenders. A year ago, it was picked No. 4 yet won the title.

Role playing. Successful teams are built on chemistry as much as pure talent, and the acceptance of roles is big part of creating a winner. Because Hironaka lost his point guard, Jared Moultrie (Sr., 6-2, West Point, Ut./Clearfield/Salt Lake CC), to a season-ending knee injury early on, roles have been evolving. The Falcons are counting on Brian Lynch (Sr., 6-1, Missoula, Mt./Great Falls) and Marques Echols (Jr., 6-2, Seattle, Wa./Garfield-Peninsula CC) to not only fill Moultrie’s minutes but also a selfless job in which they must focus on making others look good. At last week’s tournament, they seemed to be living into the role. Lynch made key baskets and a total of four steals, scoring 20 points to earn all-tournament honors. Echols, who had delivered a key three and 16 points Dec. 20 at Dixie State, passed for six assists with only one turnover in 46 minutes at the tourney.

Toughening up. Two players entrusted with starring roles are Dustin Bremerman (Sr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) and Rob Will (Jr., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea), and last week they both were forced to bounce back from adversity in plain view. Will totaled more turnovers and personal fouls (8 each) than rebounds (7) against Dixie State and Cheyney. But in the late stages of the return game he converted two baskets, including a three-point play, to help down the Rebels. Bremerman was 0-5 from the field in the first half vs. Dixie, which led by eight at the break. He reasserted himself in the second stanza, hitting 6 of 7 shots and scoring 18 of his 20. His rebound layup with 18 seconds left proved pivotal, giving SPU a 69-65 lead. Bremerman also made the all-tournament team, totaling 39 points and shooting 59 percent from the field.

Put-backs. Bremerman is No. 5 in career scoring (1460) and is now approaching Howard Heppner (1521) and Jim Ballard (1530). He is 10th in GNAC career scoring, 8th in three-pointers and rebounds...Lynch has 10 assists and only four turnovers in the last four games while averaging 9.0 points...The Falcons have been out-rebounded in each of the last seven games, including margins of 10 or more in three of the last five...Echols came off the bench to make four threes at Dixie State and JoJay Jackson (Jr., 6-5, Fairfield, Ca.) contributed 14 and eight rebounds...Drew Matzen (Sr., 6-4, Bothell, Wa./Lynnwood) had 10 assists and hit 5 of 11 threes last week...Against Cheyney, SPU shot 50 percent from the field, including 11 of 22 treys. It has won 24 consecutive games when shooting at least 50 percent. The second win over Dixie State was the first time this season SPU has won without shooting 50 percent...After earning only 42 trips to the foul line during the four-game road trip, SPU shot 45 in two games last week...The Falcons have averaged 12.8 turnovers in the last four outings, down from 20.0 in the previous three games...Opponents are hitting 38.8 percent of their threes, putting SPU next-to-last in the GNAC, and the Falcons are ninth in rebounding margin (-5.5). Individually, Will is the shot-blocking leader (2.3). Bremerman is No. 4 in scoring (17.5) and free-throw accuracy (.917)...With a 12-1 finish, GNAC teams completed the non-conference portion of their schedules with a respectable 57-44 record (.563), including 42-33 (.560) against Division II schools and 23-22 (.511) against West Region teams. A year ago when the GNAC earned five West Region playoff berths, conference teams were 64-26 in non-conference games (.711), including 37-17 (.685) against Div. II schools and 25-10 (.714) against West Region teams (18-6 vs. the CCAA)...The SPU-UAA game be heard online at www.goseawolves.com and Saturday’s game is available at www.820sports.com.

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.