Talking to Abe Falls about his decision to sign with the UBC-Okanagan men’s basketball team, it quickly becomes apparent why his game must have appealed to new UBC-O bench boss Pete Guarasci.
Rather than wax eloquent about his ability to knock down the three-pointer or grab rebounds in bunches – both of which he is capable of – Falls instead focuses on his affinity for drawing charges.
“I feel like it’s a big momentum-changer when you take a nice, solid charge,” the Yale Secondary senior enthused. “You feel it the next day, but in the moment, you don’t really feel it at all.
“I really like to bring energy to the court – tough defence, hit the open shot, just help the team any way I can.”
Falls’s willingness to embrace the blue-collar tasks, combined with his work ethic, helped him land the scholarship from Kelowna-based UBC-O, a fledgling Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) program.
The 6’5” swingman spent much of his Grade 11 year playing in the post for Al Friesen’s Yale squad, but he worked hard on his ball-handling and shooting last summer and transitioned into more of a perimeter role on offence as a senior.
Falls was a key cog on a Lions team which spent part of the year atop the AAA rankings and finished seventh at provincials.
“Abe has been a steady contributor to a Yale program rich with basketball tradition,” Guarasci said. “He is a nice shooter with size who competes hard on every possession. We are looking forward to seeing how he can contribute to our UBC-O men’s basketball program.”