The Seattle Pacific University men’s basketball team was in San Diego getting ready for a first-round tournament matchup when they got the call that would change everything.

On March 11, 2020, the NCAA announced that all their ongoing postseason basketball tournaments were canceled due to COVID-19. As the Falcons left Southern California, it was hard for anyone on that team to find closure, but especially hard for seniors Gavin Long and Gabe Colosimo who had no idea that their loss to the University of Alaska Anchorage on Friday, March 6 would be their last game as Falcons.

Gavin Long is a 6-foot-5-inch guard who hails from Wenatchee, Washington. Long’s best year as a Falcon was arguably his junior season, where he averaged 14.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

That year, Long was an integral part of a Falcon team that won the GNAC tournament and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division II National basketball tournament. His favorite memories as a Falcon came from this campaign.

“I liked the whole end of that season honestly,” Long said in an interview over Zoom. “Because we went to the NCAA tournament and won the first game. But yeah, I’d probably say winning the GNAC tournament is my favorite memory.”

Gabe Colosimo is 6-foot guard from Sandy, Utah. Colosimo had an injury-plagued Falcon career. His best, most healthy season came in the 2017-2018 campaign where he averaged 8.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game.

Despite having torn both ACLs over the course of his career, Colosimo always did whatever he could to help his team, while preparing to try and get back on the court. It’s Colosimo’s attitude towards all the challenges from the last five years that he takes the most pride in. 

“I think I was able to stay true to who I was,” Colosimo said in an interview over Zoom. “I feel like I had the career that I wanted to have. Now with the injuries, it didn’t go on the court like how I wanted, but I think I remained the same, and I think I didn’t change much, and I think I stayed who I was.”

Unlike the men’s team, the women’s basketball team season ended more traditionally as the Falcons did not make the GNAC tournament. Hailee Bennett and Madi Hingston finished their careers as important mentors to a young promising team that hopes to accomplish big goals in the future. 

Hailee Bennett is a 5-foot-7-inch Guard from Kalispell, Montana. Bennett’s best year individually came this year, averaging 10.7 points per game and 3.8 assists per game.

The Falcons’ best year as a team over the four-year stretch of Bennett’s career came in the 2017-2018 campaign, when the team went 23-8 and made it into the first round of the NCAA Division II national tournament.

Bennett still has fond memories of this magical postseason run. After mentioning this season’s hard fought win against Western Oregon University, where the Falcons won despite only having seven healthy players, Bennett mentioned beating the University of Alaska Anchorage in the 2018 GNAC tournament as another one of her favorite moments from her career.

“My other favorite moment was when we beat Alaska Anchorage in the GNAC tournament at Anchorage, my sophomore year,” Bennett said. “That was the most hyped-up environment I have ever been a part of and the way our team was playing together and the confidence we had was unforgettable.”

Madi Hingston is a 5-foot-8-inch Guard from Keizer, Oregon. Hingston’s best year as a Falcon came this year, averaging 8.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Hingston had to fight for playing time her entire career, but her hard work paid off with a nice senior season to end her career. 

For all four of these athletes SPU basketball will always have a special place in their hearts. 

“The people I spent time with, the memories I made, the relationships I built, and the experience and lessons I learned will forever be with me and made me a better person,” Bennett said.