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Cougar Classic / Felix Event Center / Azusa, Calif.
• Webcast & LiveStats for all games: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/apu/
 
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25 –
Seattle Pacific at Azusa Pacific, 7:30 p.m. PST
 
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26 –
Seattle Pacific vs. Point Loma Nazarene, 5:30 p.m. PST
 
Seattle Pacific embarks on its first regular-season men's basketball road trip this week for a pair of compelling games at the Cougar Classic in Azusa, California. The Falcons (2-2) face the team that knocked them out of last season's NCAA playoffs with a Friday, Nov. 25 encounter against Azusa Pacific (2-4) at 7:30 p.m. in the Felix Event Center. The teams split two games last year with SPU winning 71-54 on Dec. 12 in Seattle and the Cougars getting a 77-66 NCAA first-round victory on Mar. 11. On Saturday, Nov. 26, at 5:30 p.m. the Falcons clash with a Point Loma Nazarene (1-3) team led by their former mentor, Ryan Looney. He coached SPU to a 165-51 record in seven seasons before moving to San Diego in May.
 
Terrific Trio
Three players account for 63 percent (204 of 331) of the Falcons scoring output this season. Sophomore Coleman Wooten scores at a 20-point clip to lead the team, Tony Miller averages 16.3 points and senior Joe Rasmussen chips in 16.0.


 
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. Leep is a former prep All-American at Mount Vernon (Wash.) High School and standout collegian at Washington (1999-2002).
 
Last Week
Seattle Pacific lost two hard-fought home games in the Oak Harbor Freight Lines Classic. The Falcons fell 78-69 to 17th-ranked Minnesota State (Nov. 18) despite the 24-pint, 16-rebound performance of Coleman Wooten, who was named to the all-tournament team. Tony Miller's 21 points weren't enough in a 74-72 overtime loss to Dixie State (Nov. 19). SPU rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to force overtime.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU leads the GNAC and ranks No. 28 nationally in 3-pointers by averaging 10.5 treys per game ... Senior point guard Will Parker is the most experienced Falcon, entering the year with 14 career starts to his credit while no other Falcon had started more than four games ... SPU owns the longest current playoff streak among NCAA Division II men's basketball teams at 12 years ... The Falcons 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 ... SPU led the nation in rebound margin last year for the second consecutive year, 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 ... Seven of the 16 players on the roster have never before played a game in an SPU uniform, including brothers Tony and Trey Miller. Tony is a fantastic freshman from Woodinville (Wash.) High School and Trey is a transfer from Division I North Dakota State.
 
Scouting Azusa Pacific (2-4, pending Tuesday game vs. Bethesda)
> The Cougars are coming off a 23-9 season that ended in the second round of the NCAA playoffs, after beating SPU 77-66 in the opening round. They were the NCAA West Regional champions in 2015.
 
> Azusa has wins over Texas A&M International (72-64) and Cal Poly Pomona (73-60) to its credit this season.
 
> Three Cougars average double-figure points led by the 14.7 of Petar Kutlesic. Former Western Washington forward Joey Schreiber scores at a 12.8-point clip.
 
> The Falcons own a 4-2 edge in the all-time series and the first five games were played in Seattle. They were 71-54 victors over APU on Dec. 12, 2015 but lost the rematch 77-66 on Mar. 11, 2016 in an NCAA Tournament first-round game in Monmouth, Ore.
 
> In his ninth season at APU, Justin Leslie has a 1-2 record against the Falcons.
 
Scouting Point Loma Nazarene (1-3)
> The Sea Lions hail from San Diego, Calif. They became NCAA Division II members in 2014 after previously competing at the NAIA level.
 
> Point Loma defeated Cal State Monterey Bay 76-61 on Saturday after losing its first three games, including losses to GNAC members Western Oregon (64-62) and Saint Martin's (86-80 ot).
 
> The Sea Lions return four starters, a group headlined by point guard Josh Rodriguez. He received 2016 PacWest Freshman of the Year honors after leading the team with 17.3 points and 6.4 assists per game.
 
> In his first season at PLNU, Ryan Looney has never coached against SPU. He coached the Falcons from 2009-16, compiling a 165-51 record and seven NCAA berths.
 
> Saturday marks the first ever meeting between the Falcons and Point Loma.
 
Next Week
The Falcons begin their Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule at home next week. They entertain Simon Fraser on Thursday, Dec. 1 and Western Washington on Saturday, Dec. 3. Both games tip off at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.

 

Super Soph
Sophomore forward Coleman Wooten is averaging a double-double with 20.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He hauled in 11 or more rebounds in all four games with a career-high 16 on Nov. 18 versus Minnesota State. Wooten compiled a career-best 26 points in the Nov. 11 season opener vs. Humboldt State. He was named the MVP of the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic (Nov. 11 & 12).
 
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 2-2 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.