SEATTLE - Seattle Pacific University men's basketball head coach
Keffrey Fazio announced the team's 2026-27 schedule on Tuesday, featuring seven nonconference games, six of them in California, an exhibition at Division I Eastern Washington, and 18 Great Northwest Athletic Conference games leading to the GNAC Championships on March 4-6 in Nampa, Idaho.
The Falcons open the season on the road in California, starting with the CCAA Crossover in Chico. SPU takes on Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 13 and Chico State on Nov. 14, with both games tipping off at 3:00 p.m. The following weekend, SPU plays in the Stanislaus State Crossover Classic in Turlock, facing Cal State East Bay on Nov. 20 at 5:00 p.m. and host Stanislaus State on Nov. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
SPU spends Thanksgiving weekend in Costa Mesa for the PacWest-GNAC Thanksgiving Crossover Challenge. The Falcons play host Vanguard on Nov. 27 and Point Loma on Nov. 28, with both games at 2:00 p.m.
"This year's schedule offers a good challenge for us early as our first six contests are on the road, or at a neutral site," head coach
Keffrey Fazio said. "November in college basketball is still a time for figuring out who we are and what we want to become, and we look forward to that road ahead."
The Falcons visit Eastern Washington on Dec. 17 at 6:00 p.m. for an exhibition against the Eagles. Nonconference play concludes with the Falcons' only home game of their nonconference schedule against Western Colorado on Dec. 19 at 3:00 p.m.
"We also get an opportunity to play a division one opponent this year," Fazio said. "Our guys always look forward to that stage. Hopefully, we can get some fans over to Cheney."
The Falcons open GNAC play with a two-game home stand. Central Washington visits on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m., and Northwest Nazarene follows on Dec. 5 at 2:00 p.m. SPU then hits the road for a New Year's Eve game at Western Washington at 5:00 p.m. and a Jan. 2 trip to Simon Fraser at 6:00 p.m. PST.
Conference play picks up in January, starting with Saint Martin's on Jan. 7 at 7:00 p.m. and Western Oregon on Jan. 9 at 4:15 p.m., both at home. SPU visits MSU Billings on Jan. 16 at 3:15 p.m. PST before a two-game Alaska swing, at Alaska Anchorage on Jan. 21 at 6:15 p.m. PST and at Alaska Fairbanks on Jan. 23 at 4:15 p.m. PST. The Falcons return to Royal Brougham to close the month against Simon Fraser on Jan. 28 at 5:15 p.m. and Western Washington on Jan. 30 at 4:15 p.m.
February begins with back-to-back road games at Western Oregon on Feb. 4 and Saint Martin's on Feb. 6, both at 7:30 p.m. MSU Billings visits on Feb. 13 at 2:00 p.m. SPU closes its home schedule with Alaska Fairbanks on Feb. 18 at 5:15 p.m. and Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 20 at 4:15 p.m. The regular season ends with two road games, at Northwest Nazarene on Feb. 25 at 6:30 p.m. PST and at Central Washington on Feb. 27 at 7:15 p.m.
The GNAC Men's Basketball Championships happen March 4-6 at the Johnson Sports Center in Nampa, Idaho, on the campus of Northwest Nazarene. Seattle Pacific has reached the conference tournament 14 times since it began in 2011, and its five titles (2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2025) are the most of any program in the GNAC. A berth this season would be the 15th for the Falcons.
"And last, but certainly not least, our conference schedule is as good as it gets in the region," Fazio said. "The GNAC is such a good basketball league, and like every year, it's going to be a battle every night."
SPU is coming off a 14-12 regular season in 2025-26. The Falcons beat fourth-ranked Point Loma 80-73 at Royal Brougham on Nov. 29 and advanced to the GNAC Championships. Off the court, the Falcons won the GNAC Team Academic Championship and placed eight players on the GNAC All-Academic Team.
Nine players return from last season's roster, led by senior guard
Theo McMillan. Redshirt seniors
Connor Drinkwine and
David Zachman, 6-foot-10 forward
Cole Holum, sophomores
Brant Heppner,c
Aengus Sutherland, and
Yoav Ziklik, and redshirt freshmen
Sebastian Arius and
Nirvaan Misra also return.
McMillan led the Falcons in both rebounding (6.4 per game) and assists (5.6 per game) last season. He started all 25 games he played and averaged a team-high 33.0 minutes, scoring 9.4 points per game on 53.2 percent shooting. He finished with 141 assists against 60 turnovers and earned GNAC Honorable Mention and GNAC All-Academic honors. McMillan returned to SPU after a standout season at Clark College, where he averaged 17.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists and was named First Team All-NWAC South Region. He was First Team All-Conference at Camas High School as a senior.
Drinkwine gave the Falcons a perimeter threat, shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from 3-point range (28-for-74) last season. The 6-foot-6 guard appeared in 25 games with 11 starts and averaged 6.7 points in 22.0 minutes. He scored a season-high 16 points in a 66-63 win over Central Washington on Jan. 15 and played a season-high 37 minutes in the overtime win at Simon Fraser.
Heppner emerged as a reliable shooter in his first season. The 6-foot-8 forward appeared in 26 games, averaging 5.8 points and 2.7 rebounds in 17.0 minutes per game off the bench. He shot 43.5 percent from 3-point range (37-for-85), the most made 3-pointers of any returning Falcon. His season highs were 15 points against Saint Martin's on Jan. 1, eight rebounds against Douglas College on Dec. 19, and 34 minutes against Alaska Anchorage on Feb. 21.
Fazio added eight Pacific Northwest natives in the 2026 signing class, five first-year student-athletes and three transfers.
Brandon Tagle,
Josiah Bowman,
Jackson Whitaker,
Lucas Stevens, and
Ryder Zanon will get their first experience in collegiate basketball this season.
Will Landram,
Logan Stempniak, and
Malcolm Clark will join the Falcons as transfers for 2026-27.
Tagle finished his career at Kentwood High School with 1,733 points, the third-most in program history, and school records for assists (449) and made 3-pointers (231). He was league MVP as a senior and a two-time All-State selection. He also played quarterback.
Bowman is a 6-foot-6 O'Dea High School product. He earned Second Team All-Metro honors, was selected to the Washington 3A All-Star Team, and scored a career-high 29 points while helping O'Dea reach the state tournament.
Whitaker scored more than 2,000 career points at Liberty High School, averaging 26.0 as a senior. He was a three-time First Team All-KingCo selection and played for Team Washington in the annual game against Team Oregon.
Landram joins SPU after beginning his collegiate career at the University of Washington. At Gig Harbor High School, he earned four letters in basketball and three in football.
Stempniak arrives from Northwest University for his final season of eligibility. At Kentwood High School he averaged 20.0 points and 13.0 rebounds as a senior and was NPSL MVP.
Clark comes off a championship season at Skagit Valley College. He averaged 15.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks while shooting 61.7 percent, as the Cardinals won a school-record 30 games and the 2026 NWAC Championship. Clark had 23 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks in the title game and was named to the All-NWAC Tournament Team.
SPU men's basketball season and single-game tickets for the 2026-27 season are available online. Action starts in November, ahead of the Falcons' home opener on Dec. 3 against Central Washington at 7:30 p.m.
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