• Complete Release (pdf)    |    • VIDEO: Gavin  Long
 
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14 –
Seattle Pacific at Chaminade, 9:30 p.m. PST (7:30 p.m. HST)
McCabe Gym; Honolulu, Hawaii 
• LiveStats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/chaminade/mbball/
• Live Audio: http://www.meridix.com/everywhere.php?liveid=ChaminadeU
 
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16 –
Seattle Pacific at Hawaii-Hilo, 9:30 p.m. PST (7:30 p.m. HST)
Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium; Hilo, Hawaii 
• LiveStats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/uhh/mbball/
• Webcast: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=uh+hilo+live+stream
 
A 5,530-mile round trip flight awaits the Seattle Pacific men's basketball team that concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule with a two-game trip to Hawaii. The Falcons (4-4) visit Honolulu on Wednesday, Dec. 14 to take on Chaminade (4-5). Tip-off is 9:30 p.m. Pacific Time (7:30 p.m. HT) at McCabe Gym. SPU won 14 of the 19 previous meeting versus the Silverswords. On Friday, Dec. 16, the Falcons have a rematch with Hawaii-Hilo (3-5) in a 9:30 PST game at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo. SPU beat the Vulcans 88-80 on Nov. 12 in Seattle with a late surge inside the final two minutes. The Falcons resume action after Christmas with a pair of league contests, on Dec. 29 at Alaska Anchorage and Dec. 31 at Alaska Fairbanks.
 
Terrific Trio
Three players account for 60 percent (400 of 662) of SPU's scoring output this season. Sophomore Coleman Wooten scores at a 18.0-point clip to lead the team, freshman Tony Miller and senior Joe Rasmussen each average 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).
 
Injured Falcons
A slew of injuries have depleted the roster. Sophomore Gabe Colosimo and junior Sam Simpson are sidelined for the season. Sophomore Nathan Streufert and transfer Trey Miller (North Dakota State) have not yet played due to injury and their return date is uncertain. That leaves 11 available players (Harry Cavell is redshirting). Seven of those players average 15 or more minutes and the remaining four less than 4.0.
 
Falcons Fast Facts
SPU sophomore Coleman Wooten leads the GNAC and ranks No. 6 nationally in double-doubles with five ... 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 ... 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 year in a row, collecting 11.7 more caroms per game than opponents ... Senior Joe Rasmussen's father Blair had an 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 Chaminade (4-5, 2-2 PacWest)
> The Silverswords lost their last two games, including a 79-66 road setback at Hawaii-Hilo in their last outing.
 
> Rhondell Goodwin, a 6-foot-5 senior guard, leads Chaminade with 21.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
 
> Eric Boivard is in his sixth season as head coach at Chaminade after serving seven seasons as an assistant at West Liberty. He helped the Hilltoppers lead all NCAA Division II teams in scoring six of his last seven seasons. West Liberty averaged 111 points per game his final year.
 
> SPU owns a 14-5 series lead, including a 61-57 win in the last meeting on Dec. 9, 2011 in Honolulu.
 
Scouting Hawaii-Hilo (3-5, 2-2 PacWest )
> The Vulcans won their last two games, caped by a 79-66 home victory over Chaminade in their last outing that avenged an earlier 95-70 loss to the 'Swords.
 
> Senior guard Parker Farris is the top scorer with 22.1 points per game. He hit seven 3-pointers in the last game en route to a 28-point performance.
 
> The Hilo roster includes four products of high schools in Washington state -- Ryley Callaghan (South Kitsap, Port Orchard), Darius Johnson-Wilson (Curtis, Tacoma), Jared Roffler (Mark Morris, Longview) and Eric Wattree III (South Kitsap).
 
> SPU owns an 11-6 series lead, including an 88-80 win on Nov. 12 in Seattle. Coleman Wooten tallied six of his 19 points during the final 1:17, helping the Falcons stretch a one-point lead to the final eight-point differential.
 
> The Vulcans are coached for the fourth year by former Central Washington assistant GE Coleman, who lost his only three meetings against the Falcons as a head coach.

 

Last Week
SPU split two games at home to start the Great Northwest Athletic Conference campaign. Coleman Wooten's 25-point, 10-rebound performance and 13 points off the bench from Hunter Eisenhower sparked an 88-66 victory over Simon Fraser (Dec. 1). The Falcons lost a hard-fought 96-91 overtime result to 18th-ranked Western Washington (Dec.3) despite the combined 51 points of Olivier-Paul Betu (26) and Joe Rasussen (25). Wooten's two free throws with 0.4 seconds showing on the clock forced overtime.
 
Super Soph
Sophomore forward Coleman Wooten has a GNAC-leading five double-doubles and is averaging 18.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. He hauled in 10 or more rebounds in five 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 4-4 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 return to action after the Christmas break, attacking the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule in earnest. They complete the calendar year with two league road games in Alaska. SPU visits Anchorage on Dec. 29 for an 8 p.m. Pacific Time game and then travels to Fairbanks for a Dec. 31 contest at 4 p.m. PST.