Two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year, Ryan Looney, recently completed his seventh season as head coach at Seattle Pacific. He directed the Falcons to postseason berths in each of his campaigns while constructing a streak of seven straight 20-win seasons that is a school record.
SPU boasts the longest active playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball programs, a stretch of 12 consecutive years that dates to 2005.
Entering the 2016-17 season, Looney's SPU record is 164-51 (.763). Two of his teams (2012, 2013) advanced to the West Regional championship game of the NCAA Tournament and his squads twice won GNAC regular-season championships, in 2010 and 2014.
Looney led the Falcons to a 22-9 record in 2016, including a 14-6 GNAC record. They led the nation in rebounding margin for the second straight season, outboarding opponents by an average of 11.7 caroms per contest.
SPU defeated Central Washington 69-65 to advance to the GNAC Tournament semifinals before being edged by top-seeded Western Oregon, 58-57. The season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament when Looney's fourth-seeded Falcons fell 77-66 to No. 5 Azusa Pacific.
Looney guided SPU to an unprecedented run of three consecutive GNAC Touranment championships from 2013-15.
The Falcons forged a 24-8 overall record in 2015 and captured their third striaght GNAC Tournament title with an 81-69 victory over Western Washington. They placed second in the league standings with a 13-5 ledger. Their plus-12.5 rebound margin led the nation.
SPU upset No. 2 seed BYU-Hawaii 81-69 in the opening round of the NCAA playoffs before losing 78-77 in the regional semifinal on a last-second shot by California Baptist.
The Falcons have also excelled in the classrom during Looney's tenure. They received a third consecutive Team Academic Excellence Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in July 2015.
SPU compiled an impressive 3.41 combined GPA and, for the fifth consecutive season, earned the GNAC trophy for posting the top GPA among the league's men's basketball teams. That figure was the highest in the conference for a men's team in any sport.
Looney directed the Falcons to a 26-6 overall record in 2013-14 and the conference regular-season and league tournament championships. He was rewarded with his second GNAC Coach of the Year award.
SPU lost 80-72 in overtime against Cal State Stanislaus in the first round of the NCAA Tourament.
Senior point guard David Downs was the 2014 GNAC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. He was also named the GNAC Male Athlete of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year, awards that comprise all of the league's sports.
The Falcons compiled an impressive 3.36 combined grade-point average and 14 of 16 players on the roster possess a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher through the 2013-14 academic year. Four the fourth consecutive year they received the GNAC trophy for posting the top GPA among the league's men's basketball teams and for the second time earned a Team Academic Award from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).
Seattle Pacific registered a 27-4 record in 2012-13, equaling the school standard for single-season victories while establishing the best winning percentage (87.1%) in the then 70-year history of the program. The Falcons won their first GNAC Tournament championship with a thrilling 72-70 triumph over top-seeded Western Washington. Jobi Wall's last-second 3-pointer was the difference in the title game that was contested March 9, 2013 at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey, Wash.
SPU won its opening two postseason games, setting up a regional championship showdown at Western Washington. The hosts eked out a 62-58 win to end the SPU's historic campaign that finished with a No. 2 ranking in the national coaches poll.
That 2012-13 team was the conference regular-season runner-up with a 16-2 record.
The Falcons received the inaugural Team Academic Excellence Award from the NABC in July 2013.
SPU posted a 3.33 grade-point average and 13 players compiled a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The Falcons earned the GNAC trophy for posting the top GPA among the league's men's basketball teams. That was their third consecutive conference academic crown.
In addition, point guard David Downs received the 2013 GNAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award that covers all sports the league offers.
The Falcons posted a 23-8 record in 2012 and won two playoff games before losing 56-50 to eventual national champion Western Washington in the regional title tilt. They placed third in the league standings with a 13-5 record.
SPU compiled a 20-10 record in 2011 en route to an NCAA Tournament berth. The Falcons placed third in the GNAC (12-6) and were the league's last team standing in the 2011 playoffs after upsetting fifth-ranked Central Washington 76-63 during a first-round game in Ellensburg.
The Falcons accomplished that despite losing All-American point guard Chris Banchero to a mid-season knee injury. The 2010 West Region Player of the Year, Banchero was averaging 22.4 points and 5.6 assists per game before being sidelined for the final 19 games.
Looney led SPU to a 22-6 record in 2010 and became the first coach to direct the Falcons to a league title in his inaugural season. He was voted the 2010 GNAC Coach of the Year and the Falcons finished No. 18 in the final national rankings.
The SPU men posted a first-place mark of 13-3 in league play. They lost 76-72 to BYU-Hawaii in the first round of the playoffs in Bellingham, Wash. One of SPU’s signature victories was a 78-72 home win on Dec. 5 over that same BYU-Hawaii squad that was ranked No. 1 at the time.
Looney, who led alma mater Eastern Oregon University to the quarterfinals of the 2009 NAIA Division II Tournament, was hired May 26, 2009 as the coach at Seattle Pacific University. He won his opening nine games on the SPU sidelines, the first coach to win more than his first three for the Falcons.
Looney, 40, is the 11th head coach for the SPU program that began sponsoring intercollegiate men’s basketball in 1946. He replaced Jeff Hironaka, who left after 18 years on the Falcons staff to become an assistant coach at Washington State on the staff of Ken Bone, who is another former Falcons head coach. Hironaka served seven seasons as the head coach at SPU, where he compiled a 134-67 record and participated in the NCAA Tournament in each of his final five years.
"My family and I are excited about becoming part of the tradition of excellence in SPU athletics,” Looney said after his hiring. “The Christian campus, location, and people make it a great opportunity for us. The basketball program at SPU has experienced a high volume of success over the years. I hope to be able to build upon the strong foundation that has been established."
He enters the 2016-17 campaign with a 259-106 (.710) career record, including a 95-55 mark in five seasons with Eastern Oregon. His Mountaineers won 63.3 percent of their games, the best winning percentage among all-time EOU coaches.
Looney 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.
The 2009 EOU squad registered a 25-8 record, including 14 consecutive victories, before suffering an 80-79 NAIA quarterfinal setback against No. 1-ranked and eventual national champion Oklahoma Wesleyan.
Looney led a resurgence in the Eastern Oregon program that struggled to a 28-50 record in the three seasons prior to his arrival. After a 4-22 record in his inaugural 2005 campaign, the Mountaineers improved to 17-11 in 2006 and 23-8 in 2007.
The 2008 Mountaineers produced a memorable season, finishing with the most wins in program history. EOU had a 26-6 record, advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NAIA Tournament and was ranked as high as No. 3 in the national poll. Looney received the league’s 2008 Coach of the Year award.
Progress also was made in the classroom as the EOU men’s basketball program maintained over a 3.00 team composite grade point average (GPA) for nine consecutive terms. The produced the highest team GPA of any male athletic team on the La Grande, Ore. campus.
Looney was hired as Eastern Oregon’s head coach in May of 2004. He served the previous two seasons as the top assistant at NCAA Division II Minnesota State University Moorhead, helping the team to a 33-24 record and a berth in the finals of the 2002 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament.
He played collegiately at Eastern Oregon from 1996-98, averaging 7.2 points in 53 career games. An NAIA All-America scholar athlete, Looney still holds the school’s career free throw accuracy record at 89.5 percent. After graduating in 1998 from EOU, Looney got his first head coaching job in 1998-99 at Cove High School.
After working two seasons as an assistant at Wisconsin-LaCrosse, where he received his Master of Science degree in sports administration in 2001, Looney joined the staff at North Idaho College for the 2001-02 season.
Looney is married to former EOU cross country and track & field standout Julianna Morris. They have two children, dauther Peyton and son Micah.
Ryan Looney’s Head Coaching Ledger (after 2015-16 season)
Seattle Pacific University
Year Overall Pct Conference Pct Place Postseason
2009-10 22-6 .786 13-3 .813 1st NCAA 1st round
2010-11 20-10 .667 12-6 .667 3rd NCAA 2nd round
2011-12 23-8 .742 13-5 .722 3rd NCAA Regional Final
2012-13 27-4 .871 16-2 .889 2nd NCAA Regional Final
2013-14 26-6 .813 15-3 .833 1st NCAA 1st round
2014-15 24-8 .750 13-5 .722 2nd NCAA 2nd round
2015-16 22-9 .710 14-6 .700 3rd NCAA 1st round
Totals 164-51 .763 96-30 .762
Eastern Oregon University
Year Overall Pct Conference Pct Place
2004-05 4-22 .154 3-15 .167 9th
2005-06 17-11 .607 10-8 .556 5th
2006-07 23-8 .742 12-6 .667 5th
2007-08 26-6 .813 17-3 .850 1st NAIA round of 16
2008-09 25-8 .758 15-5 .750 1st, tie NAIA quarterfinals
Totals 95-55 .633 57-37 .606
CAREER 259-106 .710 153-67 .695