SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team opens its season in Azusa, Calif. at the Cougar Classic where they'll take on Chico State on Friday before wrapping up opening weekend against Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday. Both games tip off at 5 p.m.
QUOTABLE
"Our team did a great job in the exhibition portion of our schedule," head coach Grant Leep said. "We took advantage of our opportunities to learn, grow and get better. Now we need to keep applying those lessons learned to our non-conference schedule. We try and schedule as many challenging in-region games as we can, and it is no different this year. We can't wait to get the season started with two high-level opponents in Chico St and Cal Poly Pomona for opening weekend. I am hoping to see more of what we did well in our exhibition vs Lincoln; play hard, play together and have everyone contribute."
GNAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The GNAC announced its 2022-23 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Oct. 19, with Seattle Pacific picked for a fifth-place finish.
Saint Martin's earned the top spot in the conference with three first-place votes and 81 points. Teams with first-place votes include Northwest Nazarene (2), Montana State University Billings (3), Western Washington (2), and Western Oregon (1).
GNAC PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its Preseason All-Conference Team on Oct. 26, featuring Seattle Pacific's Shaw Anderson as a unanimous selection and Zack Paulsen earning honors too.
Anderson returns to the team after an exceptional 2021-22 season. He averaged 13.8 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field. He pulled down 108 rebounds on the season, had 38 assists, and nabbed 17 steals. For Anderson, everything added up to GNAC Honorable Mention.
Paulsen had a solid year for the Falcons a season ago. He started all 26 games and played 31.7 minutes per game. Paulsen poured in 8.6 points per game and shot 48.5 percent. He pulled down 4.9 rebounds per game, blocked 11 shots, and came up with 27 steals.
RETURNING TO THE FALCONS
Anderson and Paulsen make up two of just six returners for SPU this season. Kelton Samore, Syon Blackmon, Clayton Whitman, and Kobe Elsner round out the familiar faces for the Falcons. Samore scored 6.1 points per game last year, while Blackmon added 4.4 points per game.
NEW TO THE TEAM
The Falcons have several transfers on this year's roster. Maui Sze and DJ Clark transferred to SPU as standouts in the Northwest Athletic Conference. Both earned All-League honors, as Sze was an All-NWAC First Team selection while Clark made Second Team. Casson Rouse joins the team after a stint at Eastern Washington. Rouse was part of the team that won the Big Sky regular season and tournament titles. The Eagles appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
Jonas La Tour and Julian Mora join the team after decorated preps careers. Both had stellar senior seasons before becoming Falcons. La Tour was named the Class 2A State Player of the Year. Mora was named the Greater Valley Conference Player of the Year.
NEW TO THE STAFF
SPU men's basketball head coach Leep announced the addition of David Choi to his coaching staff.
Choi joined Coach Leep's staff at Seattle Pacific in the summer of 2022 after spending two years as an Assistant Coach at Hillsdale College in Michigan. While at Hillsdale, Choi helped push the Chargers to become one of the nation's premier NCAA D2 teams. The Chargers were ranked in the top 25 polls in both years with an overall record of 46-11, capped off by back-to-back NCAA Tournament Regional Final appearances.
Choi helped develop seven All-Conference honorees, including a consensus NCAA All-American in both seasons. Choi was integral in recruiting the four-player 2021 class, which featured an average GPA of 3.9. The class included the 2021-22 Conference Freshman of the Year.
SCOUTING THE CHICO STATE WILDCATS
The Wildcats are coming off a very successful 201-22 season. They advanced to the Elite Eight after winning the West Region. They took down Academy of Art, CSU San Bernardino, and Alaska Fairbanks on their way to the West Region Crown.
Even with last season's success, Chico State placed third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll. The Wildcats (22-5, 15-3 CCAA) finished second in the CCAA standings before turning a three-seed into a tournament run. Their three All-CCAA first-team selections graduated, but Chico returns Joshua Hamilton (9.7 ppg) in the backcourt, Kelvin Wright Jr. (7.6 rpg, 1.5 blocks) in the paint, and others that gained experience during the postseason run.
SCOUTING THE CAL POLY POMONA BRONCOS
The Broncos finished the 2021-22 season with a 13-10 record and a 9-8 CCAA record. A late-season push helped them secure the sixth seed in their conference tournament. They'd make the NCAA West Regional as a seven seed but were eliminated in the first round by CSU San Bernardino.
It'll be an entirely new lineup for Cal Poly Pomona for the 2022-23 season. They return Christopher Mitchell, who is the only player on the team with more than five career starts. Historically, the Broncos have been great. The team hasn't missed the NCAA Tournament since the 2007-08 season.
