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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 –
Simon Fraser at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3 –
(#18) Western Washington at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m. PST
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
• Webcast for both games: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/spu/
• LiveStats for both games: www.sidearmstats.com/spu/mbball
 
Seattle Pacific starts Great Northwest Athletic Conference men's basketball play with its only two home games during the month of December. The Falcons (3-3) host Simon Fraser (2-4) on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. SPU won 15 of 16 all-time meetings with the Clan. The Falcons won all five GNAC openers since 2011-12 when the GNAC began starting the league season in early December. On Saturday, Dec. 3 undefeated and 18th-ranked Western Washington (5-0) visits for a 7 p.m. clash. SPU won the last three encounters versus the Vikings, including a two-game season sweep in 2016.
 
Get Your Tickets
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 $10 on Thursday and $12 on Saturday versus Western Washington. 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.
 
Terrific Trio
Three players account for 62 percent (301 of 483) of the Falcons scoring output this season. Sophomore Coleman Wooten scores at a 18.2-point clip to lead the team, freshman Tony Miller averages 17.3 points and senior Joe Rasmussen chips in 14.7.
 


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).
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU sophomore Coleman Wooten leads the GNAC and ranks No. 6 nationally in double-doubles with four ... The Falcons projected starting lineup (Wooten-Miller-Rasmussen-Parker-Betu) combined to start just 19 career games prior to this season led by Will Parker's 14 ... 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 had never before played a game in an SPU uniform, including brothers Tony and Trey Miller. Tony is a freshman from Woodinville (Wash.) High School and Trey is a transfer from Division I North Dakota State.
 
Scouting Simon Fraser (2-4, 0-0 GNAC)
> Located in Burnaby, B.C., Simon Fraser became the first college from outside the United States to join the NCAA and the GNAC in 2010-11.
 
> The Clan, under first-year head coach Steve Hanson, lost their last two games on the road after beating Lindenwood at home on consecutive nights.
 
> The SFU offense features the duo of Kedar Wright and JJ Panratz, who average 14.7 and 14.5 points, respectively.
 
> SPU owns a 15-1 lead in the all-time series and swept last season's meetings, 89-55 on Dec. 3 in Burnaby and 85-62 on Feb. 27 in Seattle.
 
> The Falcons won the first 13 encounters with Simon Fraser before losing 84-83 on Feb. 7, 2015 in Seattle.
 
Scouting Western Washington (5-0, 0-0 GNAC)
> The 18th-ranked Vikings are the only undefeated team in the GNAC with wins over Sonoma State, Cal State East Bay Holy Names, Fresno Pacific and Quest.
 
> Western features a high-octane offense that is outscoring opponents by an average of 90 to 68.
 
> Jeffrey Parker tops four double-figure scorers with a 22.8-point average. Daulton Hommes averages 16.0, Taylor Stafford 14.4 and Trey Drechsel 12.4.
 
> The Falcons own an 83-52 series advantage and won the last three encounters. They swept the 2016 series, winning 83-64 on Dec. 5 in Bellingham and 58-51 on Feb. 25 in Seattle.
 
> WWU is coached for the fifth season by Tony Dominguez, who served as an assistant coach on Brad Jackson's staff for 17 years. Dominguez has a 5-7 record versus Seattle Pacific.

 

Last Week
SPU split two games at the Cougar Classic in Azusa, Calif. The Falcons rallied from a 13-point deficit to defeat host Azusa Pacific (Nov. 25), 73-68. Coleman Wooten led the way with a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double. Despite Tony Miller's 20 points, SPU lost 86-79 to the Point Loma Nazarene team (Nov. 26) led by former Falcons coach Ryan Looney. SPU cut an 18-point deficit to four points with 1:16 to play.
 
Super Soph
Sophomore forward Coleman Wooten is averaging a double-double with 18.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. He hauled in 11 or more rebounds in 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 3-3 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 Action
The Falcons take next week off or final exams before resuming action with a two-game road trip to Hawaii. They play at Chaminade on Dec. 14 before a Dec. 16 rematch with the Hawaii-Hilo team they defeated 88-80 on Nov. 12 in Seattle. Both games in Hawaii are slated to start at 9:30 p.m. Pacific Time.