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Complete Release (pdf)
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Thursday Webcast | •
LiveStats
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Saturday Webcast | •
LiveStats
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4 --
(#9) Seattle Pacific at Central Washington, 7:30 p.m. PST
Nicholson Pavilion (2,519) • Ellensburg, Wash.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 6 --
Northwest Nazarene at (#9) Seattle Pacific, 4:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion (2,650) • Seattle, Wash.
The ninth-ranked and first-place Seattle Pacific men (16-2, 7-0 GNAC) bid for a program record, but attempt to do it against their most troublesome opponent. The Falcons have won their opening seven conference games for the first time since 2001-02. On Thursday, Feb. 4 at Central Washington (11-6, 5-2) they attempt to become the first team in SPU history to win its first eight league games. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg. Central swept the 2009 season series and won six of its last seven meetings with the Falcons. Thursday’s game completes the first swing through the conference schedule. SPU goes through its league foes a second time, starting Saturday, Feb. 6 at home against Northwest Nazarene. The game begins at 4 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion, following a 2 p.m. women’s game. SPU won eight of the last nine meetings against NNU.
Quoting Coach Ryan Looney
“We’re going to challenge our guys this week in practice. If you look at the recent results, Central has had SPU’s number a little bit. So I don’t think we’ll have any issue motivating them, especially playing on the road at their place.”
Live Game Coverage
Thursday’s road game will be webcast live at:
www.PennAtlantic.com Live stats can be accessed via the official CWU athletics website at:
www.WildcatSports.com
Saturday’s home webcast can be accessed at:
www.PennAtlantic.com and the LiveStats are available at:
www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
Notable
At 16-2, SPU is off to its best start in eight years, since the 2001-02 squad had a 17-1 record through 18 games. That team lost game No. 19 to go 17-2 ... The Falcons have a 15-0 record in games when they score at least 70 points ... Rob Diederichs has distributed 96 assists, 42 more than any of his teammates ... Senior 6-foot-9 post Rafael Moreira is sidelined indefinitely with a knee injury. He missed the last three SPU games.
Back on Track
The SPU men won their first seven GNAC games, capped by an 88-68 Homecoming win over Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 30). Chris Banchero poured in a career-high 33 points in an 80-71 win over Alaska Anchorage (Jan. 28). The seven victories came after SPU suffered back-to-back losses, at home against Colorado Christian (73-69) and at Grand Canyon (69-68). Those are the only setbacks for the Falcons, who opened the season with nine consecutive victories for their best start in 16 seasons. SPU’s signature non-conference win was a 78-72 home triumph over then No. 1 BYU-Hawaii (Dec. 5).
GNAC Race
SPU, which is seeking to win the GNAC championship for the third time in five years, leads the league by two games in the loss column. The Falcons captured the 2006 title outright and shared the 2007 crown with Seattle University. They placed third last year, behind WWU and CWU. SPU was projected to win the league title by the annual coaches poll released Oct. 28. Despite having won three GNAC championships, this is the first time the Falcons have been selected atop the conference poll. SPU received four first-place votes en route to its 76-point total. Last year’s GNAC champion Western Washington was picked second in the poll. The Vikings tallied 72 points and also had four votes for the top spot (see complete poll on page 3).
Scouting Central Washington (11-6, 5-2 GNAC)
> The Wildcats are the highest scoring team in the GNAC and rank 15th nationally with 86.1 points per game. Five players average double-figure points: JC Cook (14.4 ppg), Chris Sprinker (12.5) Toussaint Tyler (11.7), Humberto Perez (11.4) and Jon Clift (10.9). Sprinker leads the league with 33 blocked shots (1.9 bpg).
> The Wildcats lead the series 67-41 and won six of the last seven meetings with SPU, including a season sweep last year. Take away the Falcons’ 2006 and 2008 NCAA Tournament victories and Central has won the last seven regular-season encounters.
> In his first season at SPU, Ryan Looney has never coached against the Wildcats.
Scouting Northwest Nazarene (12-6, 4-3 GNAC)
> The Crusaders, from Nampa, Idaho, won four of their last five games.
> NNU leads all GNAC teams in 3-point shooting (41.6%) and ranks No. 12 nationally. Drew Eisinger (48.8%) and Anthony Golden (48.1%) rank first and second in 3-point accuracy among GNAC players.
> SPU leads the all-time series 44-22, including wins in eight of the last nine meetings. The Falcons won 82-71 on Jan. 7 in Nampa, Idaho.
> The Crusaders lost in their last 11 visits to Seattle Pacific and have not won at Brougham Pavilion since Nov. 7, 1984.
> First-year SPU coach Ryan Looney has a 1-0 record against NNU.
Marvelous Marksmen
Five players are shooting 50 percent or higher for the Falcons, who combine to hit shots at a conference-leading 51.9-percent clip. They rank No. 4 nationally after finishing the 2009 campaign as the nation’s second-best shooting squad at 51.8 percent. SPU shot 50 percent or better in 11 of 18 games this season, topped by a 66-percent effort against Carroll College on Dec. 4, and won all 11 of those contests. The SPU men are undefeated in the 15 games in which their field goal percentage is superior to opponents. Rafael Moreira leads the Falcons, shooting at a 60.2-percent clip. Also at 50 percent for SPU are Ryan Sweet (58.7%), Adam Wardell (58.7%), Chris Banchero (53.4%) and Jake Anderson (52.9%).
Home Sweet Brougham
The Falcons are 10-1 this season at home in Brougham Pavilion where they were victorious in 27 of their last 31 games. SPU was 9-2 last year at home. Brougham Pavilion seats 2,650 spectators. It was built in 1953 and renovated in 1992.
Brilliant Banchero
Junior point guard Chris Banchero posted double-figure points in all but two games this season. He led all SPU scorers 10 times and reached the 20-point plateau on nine occasions. Banchero poured in a career-high 33 points against Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 28. A two-time GNAC Player of the Week, Banchero is averaging 18.2 points per game, a figure that ranks No. 3 in the conference.
Ticket Talk
Tickets for SPU basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Reserved seats are $8 for center court locations and $7 for other sideline areas. General admission tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Call (206) 281-2085 for group rates.
Downs Heats Up
Junior Jeff Downs has heated up from long range after spending extra time shooting in the gym the last few weeks. The 6-foot-5 wing had a 20-point outburst against Alaska Fairbanks (Jan. 30), tying his single-game best for 3-pointers by hitting 6 of 10 from behind the arc. Downs has shot 15 of 27 from 3-point range (56%) during the last four games. He made just 5 of 20 treys (25%) during the previous five outings.
Ranking Report
Seattle Pacific rose two spots, to No. 9 in this week’s (Feb. 2) NCAA Division II men’s basketball rankings compiled by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). The Falcons were included for the first time in two years with a No. 24 listing in the initial regular-season rankings on Nov. 24 after being overlooked in the preseason poll. SPU has been ranked ever since, climbing as high as No. 6 on Dec. 15.
2010 Preview
Four starters and 12 lettermen return for Seattle Pacific, which posted a 19-10 record last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Falcons were picked first in the GNAC coaches poll. Heading the list of returnees is a trio of conference all-stars. Junior point guard Chris Banchero was a second-team All-GNAC pick who led the team with 15.7 points per game. Senior post Rafael Moreira and senior wing Brandon Larrieu were honorable mention selections. Moreira averaged 11.8 points and 6.4 rebounds while Larrieu scored at a 14.6-point clip last year. The biggest task will be replacing starting forward Casey Reed, a second-team All-GNAC selection. The roster is bolstered by the addition of 6-7 junior post Ryan Sweet (Port Orchard, Wash.) and 6-7 freshman wing Scott Morse (Central Point, Ore).
2009 Review
First-year SPU coach Ryan Looney inherited a team that posted a 19-10 record in 2008-09 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament. The Falcons placed third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with an 11-5 record. They were the league’s last surviving team in the postseason after eliminating champion Western Washington in the first round. SPU advanced to the regional semifinal before losing 80-72 to eventual national runner-up Cal Poly Pomona. Just one letterman, senior forward Casey Reed, and coach Jeff Hironaka departed from last year’s team.
Five-Year Run
The Falcons registered a 104-43 record over the previous five seasons, more victories than any Great Northwest Athletic Conference team during that span. SPU compiled a 20-9 record in 2005, 26-6 in 2006, 18-10 in 2007, 21-8 in 2008 and 19-10 last season. The 104 combined wins are the second-highest five-year total in school history, topped only by a 113-win run from 1998 to 2002. The Falcons have competed in five straight NCAA Tournaments (2005-09), advancing to the national semifinals in 2006.
Looney’s Ledger
Ryan Looney, who led Eastern Oregon University to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NAIA Division II Tournament, was hired May 26, 2009 as the men’s basketball coach at Seattle Pacific. He won his opening nine games on the SPU sidelines, the first coach to win more than his first three for the Falcons. Looney, 34, has a 111-57 career record and won his 100th game on Dec. 4 against Carroll College. He compiled a 95-55 record in five seasons with Eastern Oregon and directed EOU to back-to-back NAIA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009, stopping the school’s postseason drought that dated to the 1950s. His Mountaineers won the 2008 Cascade Collegiate Conference championship, their first title in 38 years, and shared the conference crown in 2009. Looney is the 11th head coach for the SPU program that began sponsoring intercollegiate men’s basketball in 1946.