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Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
• Webcast for all games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for all games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18
2:00 p.m. PST -- Central Washington vs. Dixie State
4:30 p.m. PST -- (#17) Minnesota State vs. Seattle Pacific
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19
12:30 p.m. PST -- Central Washington vs. (#17) Minnesota State
3:00 p.m. PST -- Dixie State vs. Seattle Pacific
 
The Seattle Pacific men seek to build on a 2-0 start with another home basketball tournament. They host the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic on Nov. 18 and 19. The Falcons join Great Northwest Athletic Conference rival Central Washington (2-0) in taking on a pair of non-league teams at Brougham Pavilion. Doubleheaders take place both days, beginning Friday when Central meets Dixie State (0-2) at 2 p.m. followed by SPU versus 17th-ranked Minnesota State (1-1) at 4:30 p.m. They swap opponents Saturday with CWU playing Dixie at 12:30 p.m. before the Falcons take on MSU at 3 p.m.
 
Ticket Talk
Season tickets for SPU men's basketball games are currently available. They are a tremendous value and assure a seat in the best location for every home game. Season tickets can be purchased at www.spufalcons.com or by calling 206-281-2393. Individual game tickets for SPU men's basketball games can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 Third Ave. W., Seattle 98119) on game day. Reserved seats for Falcon men's basketball are $9. General admission tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates by calling 206-281-2393 in advance.


 
Coaching Change
Grant Leep is the 12th head coach in the 73-year history of the storied Seattle Pacific program that owns the longest active playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball programs. The run of 12 consecutive postseason berths stretches back to 2005. Leep succeeds Ryan Looney who compiled a 165-51 record in seven seasons at SPU before departing for Point Loma Nazarene in San Diego, Calif. Leep was an SPU assistant in each of Looney's seasons. He and his Falcons will face their former mentor in a Nov. 26 matchup with Point Loma in Azusa, Calif. Leep is a former prep All-American at Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School and standout collegian at Washington (1999-2002).
 
Last Week
Seattle Pacific started the season by winning both games of its own Sodexo Tip-Off Classic. Tournament MVP Coleman Wooten powered a 102-90 win over Humboldt (Nov. 11) with a 26-point, 11-rebound performance. He scored 19 with 12 boards the next night in a hard-fought 88-80 victory over Hawaii-Hilo. Joe Rasmussen tallied 21 points in that contest and Tony Miller added 20 with 10 rebounds.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
Senior point guard Will Parker is the most experienced player with 16 career starts to his credit while no other Falcon had started more than four times prior to this season ... SPU reached the 20-win plateau in 2015-16 (22-9) for a school-record seventh straight season and the 24th time overall in school history ... The Falcons led the nation in rebound margin last year for the second straight season, collecting 11.7 more caroms per game than opponents ... Senior center Joe Rasmussen's father Blair had a eight-year NBA career, in Denver and Atlanta.
 
Scouting Minnesota State (1-1)
> The Mavericks hail from Mankato, Minnesota and are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
 
> MSU was ranked 17th in the preseason poll and beat Pittsburg State 85-80 before losing a 109-103 double overtime decision against Missouri Southern State.
 
> The Mavericks return three starters from the team that posted a 22-10 record and advanced to the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
 
> Jon Fuqua, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, was named the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year. He is averaging 20.5 points and 10.0 rebounds.
 
> In his 16th season at MSU, Matt Margenthaler has never coached against SPU.
 
> The Falcons won the only previous meeting, a 72-63 victory over then Mankato State on Nov. 30, 1996.
 
Scouting Dixie State (0-2)
> Located in St. George, Utah, Dixie State is a member of the Pacific West Conference.
 
> The Trailblazers return two starters from last year's 18-9 squad that tied for first in PacWest standings and made their seventh-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
> Heading the list of returnees is 6-foot-4 junior guard Trevor Hill, who is averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
 
> SPU owns a 6-3 series lead, including an 80-74 win in the last meeting on Nov. 14, 2015 in St. George, Utah.
 
> The teams twice met in the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Falcons were 70-68 victors on March 9, 2012 in Bellingham, Wash. and Dixie won 75-73 on March 12, 2011 in Ellensburg, Wash.
 
> Five-time PacWest Coach of the Year Jon Judkins begins his 12th season on the Dixie State bench, where he has compiled a 202-102 overall record, including a 182-91 mark during DSU's NCAA Division II era.

 

2017 Season Preview
You will need a roster to follow these Falcons. Along with a new coaching staff, helmed by former assistant Grant Leep, seven players will wear SPU maroon for the first time. The Falcons have some rebuilding to do, as all five primary starters were seniors from the 2015-16 squad that posted a 22-9 record. Five players return with some starting experience, but only one was in the opening lineup for more than four games last season. Leep must deal with the departure of five of the team's top-six scorers as 6-foot-8 senior center Joe Rasmussen is the top returning point producer with 6.1 per game in 2016. Also returning is senior point guard Will Parker who averaged 4.5 points and 1.5 assists while drawing 14 starts. Senior shooting guard Oliver-Paul Betu looks to have a more significant impact one year after transferring from UC Davis. Increased contributions are anticipated as forwards Sam Simpson and Coleman Wooten see increased playing time. A talented trio of local freshmen, in Sharif Khan (Bellevue HS) Gavin Long (Wenatchee HS) and Tony Miller (Woodinville HS), bolster a lineup that also features North Dakota State sophomore transfer Trey Miller.
 
Exhibition Recap
Freshman Tony Miller led five double-figure scorers with 18 points for SPU, which completed its men's basketball exhibition slate Saturday (Nov. 5) with a 96-65 win over Lewis & Clark at Brougham Pavilion. Miller completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, one week after a 28-point, 9-rebeound performance in a 102-82 loss at Brigham Young (Oct. 29). Center Joe Rasmussen averaged 14.0 points in the two exhibitions while forward Coleman Wooten rebounded at a 7.0 clip.
 
2016 Season Review
The Falcons forged a 22-9 record last year in the seventh, and final, season under Coach Ryan Looney. They advanced to the GNAC Tournament semifinals before falling 58-57 against eventual champion Western Oregon. SPU participated in the NCAA playoffs for the 12th consecutive year, but suffered a 77-66 opening-round setback versus Azusa Pacific. The season featured lengthy winning streaks of nine and eight games. Senior forward Mitch Penner garnered first-team All-GNAC honors after topping the team with an 18.6-point average. Gilliex Dierickx (11.4 ppg) earned second-team recognition and Bryce Leavitt (4.3 apg) was an honorable mention pick.

 

Coach Leep
Grant Leep, 36, assumes control of the SPU program in his first head coaching assignment after seven seasons as an assistant on the Falcons staff. He has a 2-0 record. Leep has strong basketball ties throughout the Northwest as an All-America player at Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School before lettering four years at the University of Washington. He still owns the Huskies 3-point accuracy records for a season (52.7% in 2002) and career (42.9%). Leep's coaching resumé includes stops at Eastern Washington and a pair of community colleges. The Falcons compiled a 165-51 (.764) record during Leep's time as an assistant coach. Two teams (2012, 2013) advanced to the West Regional championship game of the NCAA Division II Tournament. SPU twice won conference regular-season championships, in 2010 and 2014, and captured the GNAC Tournament title three consecutive years, from 2013-15.
 
Postseason Pursuit
SPU is seeking its 13th straight NCAA Tournament berth. The Falcons have been postseason participants every year since 2005, the longest consecutive playoff streak in school history. The stretch of 12 straight postseason berths is the longest current streak among Division II men's basketball teams. The Falcons advanced to the national semifinals in both 2000 and 2006, placing third both times.
 
Next Week
SPU competes in its third, and final, regular-season tournament, visiting Azusa, Calif. Nov. 25-26 for the Cougar Classic. The Falcons clash with host Azusa Pacific before a battle against Point Loma Nazarene and former SPU coach Ryan Looney.