Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Navy Recruits a Player That Doesn't Suck
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)
April 11, 2004 Sunday 4X EDITION
SECTION: C; Pg. 14
LENGTH: 679 words
NOTHING TRIVIAL ABOUT GRIZZLY STAR;
Navy-bound Falkenberg sparked Wadsworth to 57 wins in three seasons;
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
By Tom Gaffney; Beacon Journal staff writer
Ben Falkenberg welcomes being the answer to a trivia question, even one with such a limited geographical scope.
Who succeeded three-time winner LeBron James as the 2004 Beacon Journal Boys Basketball Player of the Year?
That would be Falkenberg, a three-year starter at point guard for Wadsworth, a Naval Academy recruit and a first-team All-Ohio selection in Division I.
''It's something neat to follow him after all he has done. It's something I will always remember,'' said Falkenberg, a 5-foot-11 senior. ''It was better to follow him than to be with him (the same year).''
Falkenberg forged a storied career of his own, helping the Grizzlies compile a 57-10 record over three seasons. In 2003-04, he averaged 21.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2 steals as Wadsworth won the Suburban League for the second consecutive year and advanced to the Copley District final before being eliminated.
Falkenberg, a member of the National Honor Society, was named Northeast Ohio-Inland District Co-Player of the Year in Division I with Bret Wackerly of North Canton. He also was selected senior player of the year by the Greater Akron Basketball Coaches Association.
''He is really special,'' said Wadsworth coach John Martin, whose club finished 20-3 and 10th in the final Ohio Associated Press Division I state poll. ''He is a very gifted young man. He has this passion to take everything he does to the highest level and basketball is part of that.''
Falkenberg's best performance came March 6 in a Copley sectional final against Hudson, which is considered an excellent defensive club. Falkenberg scored a school-record 46 points in an 80-63 victory for the Grizzlies.
''We tried to do all kinds of different things to keep the ball away from him. If we made even a small mistake, he exploited it,'' Explorers coach Wayne Watts said. ''He played the game the way you hope your point guard would play it.
''You can tell he is a student of the game. He would be fun to play with. He can score but he also knows how to include his teammates.''
Falkenberg will forever be remembered at Wadsworth for his scoring and shooting exploits. His final point total of 1,031 is third on Wadsworth's all-time list, behind only Bob Lyren (1,203) and Doug Bell (1,193). In addition, he shot 48.3 percent (67-of-139) from behind the 3-point arc and 89.4 percent from the foul line. Those figures placed him in the top four in the state in both categories.
That would come as a surprise from six years ago when he thought of himself as one of the poorer shooters on the Wadsworth middle school team. Hard work that included taking 500 shots a day in the off-season changed that.
''I couldn't shoot and I knew I had to do something about it,'' he said about his early troubles. ''My dad helped me. We watched videotape. I changed my shot as a freshman, working on repetition.
''I tried to shoot the exact same way. I want the ball to leave my hand the same way every time.''
Despite his individual exploits, Falkenberg said he will remember the success of his teams -- on and off the court -- more than anything else. The Grizzlies put together a 20-0 regular season in 2002-03 and the 20-3 mark in 2003-04 marked the first back-to-back 20-victory seasons in the history of Medina County boys basketball.
''Winning and having fun,'' Falkenberg said when asked about his fondest memory. ''Our team, the players, the coaches it was a great time.''
Falkenberg committed to the Naval Academy six months ago and has not changed his mind despite an unexpected change of head coaches. Don DeVoe resigned and was replaced in late March by ex-Villanova assistant Billy Lange.
Falkenberg said Lange called him the day he was hired and told him to be prepared to contend for a starting spot at point guard next season.
''It (Navy) fits him to a 'T.' It's a win for Navy and a win for Ben,'' Martin said. ''It is one of the most prestigious academic schools in the country. I can see him as a future officer in the Navy.''
As well as an answer to a trivia question for future generations. @ 1:58 PM
Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio)
April 11, 2004 Sunday 4X EDITION
SECTION: C; Pg. 14
LENGTH: 679 words
NOTHING TRIVIAL ABOUT GRIZZLY STAR;
Navy-bound Falkenberg sparked Wadsworth to 57 wins in three seasons;
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
By Tom Gaffney; Beacon Journal staff writer
Ben Falkenberg welcomes being the answer to a trivia question, even one with such a limited geographical scope.
Who succeeded three-time winner LeBron James as the 2004 Beacon Journal Boys Basketball Player of the Year?
That would be Falkenberg, a three-year starter at point guard for Wadsworth, a Naval Academy recruit and a first-team All-Ohio selection in Division I.
''It's something neat to follow him after all he has done. It's something I will always remember,'' said Falkenberg, a 5-foot-11 senior. ''It was better to follow him than to be with him (the same year).''
Falkenberg forged a storied career of his own, helping the Grizzlies compile a 57-10 record over three seasons. In 2003-04, he averaged 21.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2 steals as Wadsworth won the Suburban League for the second consecutive year and advanced to the Copley District final before being eliminated.
Falkenberg, a member of the National Honor Society, was named Northeast Ohio-Inland District Co-Player of the Year in Division I with Bret Wackerly of North Canton. He also was selected senior player of the year by the Greater Akron Basketball Coaches Association.
''He is really special,'' said Wadsworth coach John Martin, whose club finished 20-3 and 10th in the final Ohio Associated Press Division I state poll. ''He is a very gifted young man. He has this passion to take everything he does to the highest level and basketball is part of that.''
Falkenberg's best performance came March 6 in a Copley sectional final against Hudson, which is considered an excellent defensive club. Falkenberg scored a school-record 46 points in an 80-63 victory for the Grizzlies.
''We tried to do all kinds of different things to keep the ball away from him. If we made even a small mistake, he exploited it,'' Explorers coach Wayne Watts said. ''He played the game the way you hope your point guard would play it.
''You can tell he is a student of the game. He would be fun to play with. He can score but he also knows how to include his teammates.''
Falkenberg will forever be remembered at Wadsworth for his scoring and shooting exploits. His final point total of 1,031 is third on Wadsworth's all-time list, behind only Bob Lyren (1,203) and Doug Bell (1,193). In addition, he shot 48.3 percent (67-of-139) from behind the 3-point arc and 89.4 percent from the foul line. Those figures placed him in the top four in the state in both categories.
That would come as a surprise from six years ago when he thought of himself as one of the poorer shooters on the Wadsworth middle school team. Hard work that included taking 500 shots a day in the off-season changed that.
''I couldn't shoot and I knew I had to do something about it,'' he said about his early troubles. ''My dad helped me. We watched videotape. I changed my shot as a freshman, working on repetition.
''I tried to shoot the exact same way. I want the ball to leave my hand the same way every time.''
Despite his individual exploits, Falkenberg said he will remember the success of his teams -- on and off the court -- more than anything else. The Grizzlies put together a 20-0 regular season in 2002-03 and the 20-3 mark in 2003-04 marked the first back-to-back 20-victory seasons in the history of Medina County boys basketball.
''Winning and having fun,'' Falkenberg said when asked about his fondest memory. ''Our team, the players, the coaches it was a great time.''
Falkenberg committed to the Naval Academy six months ago and has not changed his mind despite an unexpected change of head coaches. Don DeVoe resigned and was replaced in late March by ex-Villanova assistant Billy Lange.
Falkenberg said Lange called him the day he was hired and told him to be prepared to contend for a starting spot at point guard next season.
''It (Navy) fits him to a 'T.' It's a win for Navy and a win for Ben,'' Martin said. ''It is one of the most prestigious academic schools in the country. I can see him as a future officer in the Navy.''
As well as an answer to a trivia question for future generations. @ 1:58 PM
