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Up close & personal. Approaching the halfway point in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball schedule, Seattle Pacific University will get a first hand look at the league’s surprise frontrunner as well as the team picked to finish first. The Falcons (4-2, 11-6) will put their unbeaten home record on the line Thursday night (Jan. 25) against upstart Saint Martin’s (5-0, 8-8), winner of seven straight. Central Washington (2-4, 7-10), the preseason favorite, hosts SPU Saturday (Jan. 27). Homecoming week brings Northwest Nazarene and Seattle University to campus.

A good place. Their most recent outing notwithstanding, the Falcons find themselves in good shape, nestled nicely into the thick of the GNAC hunt, second behind Saint Martin’s. Given the fact that they lost their starting point guard for the season and that the league’s gotten more competitive from top to bottom, it’s encouraging that Coach Jeff Hironaka has his squad in position to defend it conference crown and return to the NCAA Division II tournament for the third year in a row. The first NCAA regional rankings will be released Wednesday (Jan. 24). Eight teams from the West qualify for the postseason.

Highs & lows. When things are going good, Seattle Pacific looks a lot like last year’s Final Four ensemble. Such was the case in Idaho last week when SPU was clicking on offense, moving the ball (34 assists) and sinking shots at a 70-percent clip. The Falcons blew out Northwest Nazarene, 108-80, to win their third in a row and seventh in eight games. At Seattle University two nights later, that same spark was missing. The defense forced just five turnovers and allowed the Redhawks to hit 53 percent from the field in the worst GNAC loss (86-68) in six years.

There’s the Rob. The defensive dilemma for most opponents is whether to pressure the ball on the perimeter or pack it in around center Rob Will (Jr., 6-10, Seattle, Wa./O’Dea). It’s made no difference to Will, who’s been raising his game in the New Year. During January Will has averaged 15.2 points, including 17.3 over the last two weeks. After a barrage of three-pointers gave SPU a 14-point lead in the opening minutes, Northwest Nazarene extended its defense and consequently cut the deficit to eight. Will promptly put down the uprising, scoring five straight times during a 24-9 run toward the end of the first period. He finished with 17 points in 20 minutes and had 16 and eight boards at SU.

Glimpse of future. Transitioning from high school to college can be difficult enough on the academic side, never mind the athletics. However, it’s looking like Brandon Larrieu (Fr., 5-10, Puyallup, Wa./Franklin Pierce) is getting the hang of it. Pegged as a future star in the backcourt, Larrieu gave everyone a glimpse into the future at NNU. He’s been averaging nearly a point per minute over the last three games, and at Nampa he got a season-high 17 minutes. Making the most of it, Larrieu scored 16 points, making 7 of 8 shots. After scoring 10 points in his previous 13 games, he has averaged 9.0 while shooting 11-14 in the last three outings.

Join the club. With the next win, Hironaka will be alone at No. 3 on the Seattle Pacific coaching victory list. Les Habegger (1957-74) leads with 267. Ken Bone (1990-02) had 251 and Keith Swagerty (1974-80), like Hironaka, had 87. He is 57-21 in the last two-plus seasons and joined Habegger and Bone by taking a team to the Elite Eight in 2006 when he was the GNAC and West Region coach of the year. In the modern era of Falcons basketball, only Bone (.721) has a higher win percentage (87-45/.659). When he replaced Bone in 2001, Hironaka became just the second Asian American to coach a four-year college program.

Put-backs. After rising to No. 4 in NCAA free throw accuracy, Dustin Bremerman (Sr., 6-4, Yakima, Wa./Eisenhower) extended his consecutive made foul shots to 29 at NNU before going 6-for-10 the rest of the week. He scored 13 in Idaho and 19 at Seattle U. and is now 80 points (1576) from surpassing Jeff McBroom (1655). Bremerman is 11th nationally in foul-line accuracy beginning this week..SPU is the last remaining GNAC team unbeaten at home...Will (98) is approaching 100 career blocks, and needs six more to become No. 3 on the career chart...The Falcons are still eighth in GNAC rebounding margin (-2.8) for all games but a plus-2.2 in conference games. In league games they have held opponents to 28 percent shooting on three-pointers while hitting 8.3 treys per game on offense. Both figures lead the GNAC. Individually, Will is the blocks leader (2.1) and No. 7 in rebounding (6.5). Bremerman is No. 4 in scoring (18.1). Marques Echols (Jr., 6-2, Seattle, Wa./ Garfield-Peninsula CC) hit 4 of 6 treys last week, including 3-3 at NNU, and is now No. 6 in GNAC accuracy (.447) outside the arc...Adam Wardell (Fr., 6-2, Sedro Woolley, Wa.) came off the bench for eight points at NNU...Drew Matzen (Sr., 6-4, Lynnwood, Wa./Bothell) had a career-high seven assists vs. the Crusaders...The team’s 70-percent shooting against Northwest Nazarene ranks No. 2 all-time at both SPU and in the GNAC.

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.