Bovine Blog: Local Prep Talent Paying Dividends For Utah State
Dec 6, 2023, 9:56 PM
Utah State redshirt freshman guard Mason Falslev looks for space against the UC Irvine Anteaters and the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum on Saturday, December 2.
LOGAN, Utah – A two-sport state champion in football and basketball at nearby Sky View High School in 2019, redshirt freshman Mason Falslev is quickly becoming irreplaceable in Utah State’s starting five.
Following a redshirt season in 2022-23, Falslev got the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream.
“It’s something that I have always dreamed of,” Falslev said after a win over UC Irvine. “Being able to play in front of my hometown. It’s a dream come true for me.”
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Welcome to Splash Valley 💦
⚡️ @mason_falslev#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/pCZq37d4vt
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 7, 2023
Pursuing that dream is allowing Falslev to expand his game every night for the 8-1 Utah State Aggies.
Falslev scored 17 points in the season-opener but saw his counting stats dip while he worked to find his spot on both ends of the floor. After going scoreless in USU’s only loss, he followed up with consecutive 11-point, four-assist nights in Aggie wins.
The Akron Zips limited Falslev to nine points but he has taken off in the three games since. Averaging 32.3 minutes, Falslev has scored 19 twice while making 21-of-30 shots and hitting nearly 39 percent from deep.
This all came before the first-year player scored a team-high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting in a blowout win over visiting San Diego.
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Seemingly every night, Falslev does something to elicit jubilation out of the HURD, Utah State’s famed student section.
“I love the Hurd and all the fans that come out. You don’t understand how big of a deal it is. It’s so hard to come in here and win because of the fans. When we go on road games, it’s hard making shots well when everyone is chanting against you. Shoutout to the fans that came out. Love you guys.”
Even the ref gave this @mason_falslev block two thumbs up👍👍#AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/Ht1x4bIQK6
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 3, 2023
Scoring 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting with three threes against UC Irvine drew praise from Anteaters head coach Russell Turner.
“I was super impressed with Falslev… He was better in person than I’d seen him be on video. He was outstanding.”
It’s high praise for a freshman with just nine games of experience.
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About Mason Falslev
A back-to-back 4A state MVP in basketball and 4A MVP in football as a quarterback, Falslev redshirted last season after returning from an LDS mission to Brazil.
He finished his high school career as Sky View’s all-time leading scorer (1,930 points), averaging 20.1 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game as a senior. This followed a junior campaign in which he led the 4A ranks with 24.1 points and 5.2 assists per game. He was fifth in 4A in rebounding and steals as a junior.
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Heading into Wednesday night’s game against San Diego, Falslev was second on the team in points (12.1 ppg), rebounds (4.9 rpg), and assists (3.3 apg), while leading the team with nearly two steals per contest.
Falslev has scored in double-figures seven times this season, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double on two occasions.
He was named a Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and Whitesides Scholar-Athlete in 2023.
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USU sets its sights on the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks (4-4) on Saturday, December 9. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. (MT) at the Spectrum.
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