Midconfans News 3/26/2006

MIKE HUTTON COLUMN: Falu fallout: Ex-Valparaiso star finds himself on smaller stage--The Post-Tribune

March 26, 2006

Tony Falu was the most gifted player to pick up a basketball at Valparaiso University in the last 10 years.

He was, the one guy, with the exception of Bryce Drew, who lived up to the preseason publicity that was lavished on him — when he felt like it.

Valparaiso beat out the rest of the country for the 6-5 point guard from San Jacinto Junior College in Texas (he was from Puerto Rico) because of Wilo Colon, an assistant the Crusaders had hired to help them mine Puerto Rico for talent.

Arizona coach Lute Olson called him a “handful” after he scored 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting against the Wildcats in a heartbreaking 74-70 loss for Valparaiso.

A poker-faced Roy Williams left Allen Field House in January of 2002 after Falu spurred a second-half comeback that put Kansas’ 81-73 victory in danger in the final five minutes.

Falu scored 18 points that day and then brazenly told the media the result would’ve been different on a neutral court.

Those were his good days.

On his bad days, which occurred frequently, Falu refused to pass to open teammates, argued with the coaches, took wild shots and disappeared for long stretches.

It all came to an end on a cold winter night at Chicago State.

Valparaiso coach Homer Drew, miffed because his team wasn’t sharing the ball, ordered them to take five passes before they shot.

Falu didn’t listen. He fired one up on a wide-open shot. Drew pulled him from the game.

And then Falu told Drew he was done playing for VU. Drew didn’t give him a chance to reconsider. That night, he had Sports Information director Bill Rogers fax out a release saying that Falu quit.

Aside from a few words about leaving for personal reasons that evening, Falu hadn’t talked publicly about what happened, aside from a few brief words the night he left.

Four years later, Falu said the problems he exhibited on the court had nothing to do with basketball.

He was going through a divorce in the fall of 2001 and he wasn’t himself.

It all spilled into his relationship with the team.

Falu, who hasn’t talked to Drew in a long time, said that “he basically saved my life. He stood by my side in the most difficult time of my life. Any other coach would’ve kicked me off the team for what I did.”

Why is this important? Because whatever problems Falu had then are behind him now.

He transferred to St. Mary’s College in San Antonio, a Division II school, and averaged more than 20 points per game in his last season.

He received a B.A. in sports science last year and now he’s working on his masters in education while teaching high school Spanish. He wants to get into coaching.

Falu figured out, at some point, that he liked playing without all the expectations that he was burdened with at the Division I level.

He also said he still has Valparaiso in his heart.

And, of course, he stills remember that Arizona game like it just happened.

Contact Mike Hutton at 648-3139 or mhutton@post-trib.com