SEATTLE – The Seattle Pacific University men's basketball team opens their season with a three-game, international trip north of the border, as the Falcons start the year at the DII Canadian Tip-Off Classic this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
 
QUOTABLE
"Our guys have been working hard to prepare for the season. We're at the point where we want to face some opponents and see where we're at. I think our roster has a lot of lineup versatility. That's something we want to continue to use as a strength of our team. We have a nice blend of upperclassmen with experience, some returning players looking to step up, and a few new impact newcomers. We're thrilled to take part in the DII Canadian Tip-Off Classic. It features great competition and should be an awesome experience for our guys." – Interim Head Coach Keffrey Fazio. 
 
GNAC PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team on Tuesday afternoon, with Seattle Pacific University standout Shaw Anderson topping the list as the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Anderson was sensational a season ago, leading the conference in minutes played with 34.9 per game and scoring 20.1 points per game. He ranked 34th nationally in scoring with profound efficiency. He shot 53.6 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range. 
 
Anderson's accolades felt endless at the end of the 2022-23 season. It started before the year when he was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Conference team. Anderson was named GNAC Player of the Week three times, earned First Team All-GNAC honors, and was a D2CCA West Region and NABC All-District First Team member. 
 
CHASING HISTORY
Anderson became the 39th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points on Dec. 31 against Central Washington. His 564 points over 28 games was the eighth-best single-season scoring performance in program history. Anderson enters 2023-24 with 1,307 career points and ranks 13th in SPU history in scoring. He's 641 points behind Loren Anderson, who set the record from 1955-58 with 1,948 points. 
 
GNAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
The Falcons enter 2023-24 expected to finish tied for fifth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. Saint Martin's is the league's favorite, with nine first-place votes and 98 points. Northwest Nazarene is in second with 85 points and one first-place vote. Central Washington and Western Washington round out the top four. The Falcons matched Montana State University Billings for fifth place. 
 
THE RETURNERS 
SPU returns 10 student-athletes while welcoming seven more to the team. Maui Sze and Trace Evans will contribute for the Falcons this season. Sze averaged 7.1 points per game while leading the Falcons with three assists per game. Evans had 7.4 points per game and had 4.3 rebounds per game. 
 
Kobe Elsner and DJ Clark bring experience to the team as seniors. Jonas La Tour returns after missing time with an injury a season ago. James Agany brings size to the Falcons front court, while guards Julian Mora, Jacob Gray, and Logan Kinloch look to make a bigger impact for the Falcons in 2023-24. 
 
THE NEWCOMERS
Kyle Luttinen, Jadin Penigar, Nikias Schoenerstedt, Owen Moriarty, and Brian Caldera join SPU as transfers. Luttinen joins the Falcons after graduating from and playing at the University of Washington. Penigar was a standout at Everett Community College where he scored 16 points per game and had 5.8 rebounds per game. Moriarty is a former Bellevue College Bulldog. He scored 18.6 points per game and dished out 2.7 assists per game a season ago. Theo McMillan and David Zachman are true freshmen for the Falcons.
 
ABOUT THE DII CANADIAN TIP-OFF CLASSIC
The Falcons are one of six teams participating in this weekend's tournament. Fellow GNAC members Western Washington and host Simon Fraser will compete as well. The Falcons, Vikings, and Red Leafs will take on St. Edward's University, Hawaii Hilo, and Daemen University. Links to live video, live stats, and results will be available on SPUFalcons.com and the tournament information page.