Q&A: Aaron Falzon's Memorable Summer with Team Malta
9/5/2018 9:59:00 AM | Men's Basketball
After a record-setting rookie season in 2014-15, Northwestern junior Aaron Falzon began a battle with injuries that saw him miss all of the 2016-17 season and portions of last year's campaign. This summer, Falzon put his game and his body to the test as he represented Malta in four games in five days at the 2018 FIBA European Championships for Small Countries in San Marino, Italy.
The results were exceptional.
His health remained strong, and his stats were even stronger. Falzon ranked fourth among all players in minutes per game (31.0) and in that time he contributed greatly to Malta's eventual championship win. He ranked third among all tournament players in points per game (16.3), fourth in total points (65) and third in free throw percentage (86.7).
Aside from delivering Malta its first-ever title in the tournament, Falzon was able to play alongside someone he hadn't stepped on the court with in years: his older brother, Tevin.
Here's an inside look at Falzon's memorable summer with Team Malta.
Q: What is your family's connection to Malta and what are the tournament citizenship rules?
A: My grandfather passed away a couple years ago but he was born there and moved to New York City when he was 18 years old. There is a rule that if you have two generations who have lived in Malta you can participate, so for me that was my great-grandfather and my grandfather.
Q: What else did you do there when you weren't playing basketball?
A: Every day we would have practice in the morning and then we would come back and go out exploring. It's such a small country, but we would try to find something new - go to the beach or try to find a new tourist attraction. Being in such a beautiful place for two weeks, especially being there with my brother, was awesome because we have not seen each other much since I went to college and he has been playing overseas.
Q: Playing with a new team is always different, was there anything specific that you noticed in that sense?
A: The coach didn't speak much English, so sometimes it was difficult to understand him. Other than that, the European game is so different in terms of how players move, the way the ball moves on the court, the 24-second shot clock, so the European adjustment was probably the biggest thing.
Their style is consistent movement, a lot of passing and cutting, and the shots that people take are different. In college basketball, there is a lot of emphasis on defense and slowing the game down, but in Europe it is so fast so you have to get up and down and take quick shots. The coach always told me, whatever is the first shot available you have to take it, don't pass up any shots, whereas in college basketball you might pass up a good shot to get a great shot.
Q: Were the rest of the players on your team all from Malta or did others have dual-citizenship as well?
A: We only had one other guy with dual-citizenship, he was from Australia. The rest were all from Malta. Two of the guys on the team play professionally, one plays in China and one in Italy, but the rest of them play in the Maltese League and have day jobs.
Q: When is the last time you played on the same court as your brother?
A: We played together for one year in high school, I was a freshman and he was a senior. We also played against one another in college when he played for Sacred Heart.
Q: How was your mentality different playing with brother?
A: It's different because I grew up playing with my brother, watching him every day, playing with him in the backyard. So to go out there on the court wearing the same jersey as him was fun because whenever I gave him the ball I knew exactly what he was going to do or the play he was going to make, so I could play off of him. In turn, when he had the ball, I was able to be right there and give him encouragement so it was really fun doing that.
Q: Did that relationship work the other way around as well, in terms of your brother encouraging you and raising your confidence?
A: Yes, for sure. Especially later in the tournament when some situations got emotional, he knew exactly how to calm me down or pump me up. We had a special chemistry that allowed us to work well on the court, off the court, on the bench or in the locker room.
Q: Was your family able to come out and see you guys play?
A: Yes, my dad flew out for the tournament which was really cool because my grandfather passed away two years ago, so to play for Malta and win the country's first championship with my dad watching was really special.
Q: Emotionally, how would you compare playing for a country to playing for Northwestern?
A: When I am playing for Northwestern, I am playing for the University, my teammates and the coaches. But playing for Malta is something that I have never really experienced before because I was playing with my brother and for my grandfather. It meant a lot to go out there and win, especially because the guys I was playing with never really won on a stage like that. To help those guys win the gold medal game, it brought on a lot of emotions.
Q: You've been battling injuries, how did it feel to be back and play this much in such a short period of time?
A: It felt amazing because this is the first time I've averaged 30-plus minutes and played four games in five days, which was huge for me confidence wise. Being out on the floor and being a guy that the team looked to is something that I had not experienced in a while. It gave me more confidence and playing so many minutes will definitely give me confidence heading into the upcoming season.
Q: Is this something that you see yourself participating in again?
A: Yeah, for sure. I would definitely consider playing again, especially if I get to play with my brother because that is something that not a lot of people get to do, and to play with my him on a national level was a really memorable experience.
The results were exceptional.
Congratulations Malta ????! ?? #FIBASmallCountries
— FIBA (@FIBA) July 1, 2018
?? https://t.co/tm0D8Nrjyv pic.twitter.com/ofNvWBHqTA
His health remained strong, and his stats were even stronger. Falzon ranked fourth among all players in minutes per game (31.0) and in that time he contributed greatly to Malta's eventual championship win. He ranked third among all tournament players in points per game (16.3), fourth in total points (65) and third in free throw percentage (86.7).
Aside from delivering Malta its first-ever title in the tournament, Falzon was able to play alongside someone he hadn't stepped on the court with in years: his older brother, Tevin.
Here's an inside look at Falzon's memorable summer with Team Malta.
Q: What is your family's connection to Malta and what are the tournament citizenship rules?
A: My grandfather passed away a couple years ago but he was born there and moved to New York City when he was 18 years old. There is a rule that if you have two generations who have lived in Malta you can participate, so for me that was my great-grandfather and my grandfather.
?? Falzons... amazing experience representing country and making history!!! #Malta #RIPGrandpaJoe https://t.co/WUj33Jl35a
— Aaron Falzon (@A3Falzon5) July 1, 2018
Q: What else did you do there when you weren't playing basketball?
A: Every day we would have practice in the morning and then we would come back and go out exploring. It's such a small country, but we would try to find something new - go to the beach or try to find a new tourist attraction. Being in such a beautiful place for two weeks, especially being there with my brother, was awesome because we have not seen each other much since I went to college and he has been playing overseas.
Q: Playing with a new team is always different, was there anything specific that you noticed in that sense?
A: The coach didn't speak much English, so sometimes it was difficult to understand him. Other than that, the European game is so different in terms of how players move, the way the ball moves on the court, the 24-second shot clock, so the European adjustment was probably the biggest thing.
Their style is consistent movement, a lot of passing and cutting, and the shots that people take are different. In college basketball, there is a lot of emphasis on defense and slowing the game down, but in Europe it is so fast so you have to get up and down and take quick shots. The coach always told me, whatever is the first shot available you have to take it, don't pass up any shots, whereas in college basketball you might pass up a good shot to get a great shot.
Q: Were the rest of the players on your team all from Malta or did others have dual-citizenship as well?
A: We only had one other guy with dual-citizenship, he was from Australia. The rest were all from Malta. Two of the guys on the team play professionally, one plays in China and one in Italy, but the rest of them play in the Maltese League and have day jobs.
Q: When is the last time you played on the same court as your brother?
A: We played together for one year in high school, I was a freshman and he was a senior. We also played against one another in college when he played for Sacred Heart.
Q: How was your mentality different playing with brother?
A: It's different because I grew up playing with my brother, watching him every day, playing with him in the backyard. So to go out there on the court wearing the same jersey as him was fun because whenever I gave him the ball I knew exactly what he was going to do or the play he was going to make, so I could play off of him. In turn, when he had the ball, I was able to be right there and give him encouragement so it was really fun doing that.
Q: Did that relationship work the other way around as well, in terms of your brother encouraging you and raising your confidence?
A: Yes, for sure. Especially later in the tournament when some situations got emotional, he knew exactly how to calm me down or pump me up. We had a special chemistry that allowed us to work well on the court, off the court, on the bench or in the locker room.
Q: Was your family able to come out and see you guys play?
A: Yes, my dad flew out for the tournament which was really cool because my grandfather passed away two years ago, so to play for Malta and win the country's first championship with my dad watching was really special.
Q: Emotionally, how would you compare playing for a country to playing for Northwestern?
A: When I am playing for Northwestern, I am playing for the University, my teammates and the coaches. But playing for Malta is something that I have never really experienced before because I was playing with my brother and for my grandfather. It meant a lot to go out there and win, especially because the guys I was playing with never really won on a stage like that. To help those guys win the gold medal game, it brought on a lot of emotions.
Q: You've been battling injuries, how did it feel to be back and play this much in such a short period of time?
A: It felt amazing because this is the first time I've averaged 30-plus minutes and played four games in five days, which was huge for me confidence wise. Being out on the floor and being a guy that the team looked to is something that I had not experienced in a while. It gave me more confidence and playing so many minutes will definitely give me confidence heading into the upcoming season.
Q: Is this something that you see yourself participating in again?
A: Yeah, for sure. I would definitely consider playing again, especially if I get to play with my brother because that is something that not a lot of people get to do, and to play with my him on a national level was a really memorable experience.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballNorthwestern Men's Basketball Cooking Competition
Sunday, July 20
GRITTY AS IT GETS: Brooks Barnhizer Supercut 🎥
Thursday, June 26
Men's Basketball - Chris Collins on B1G Today
Tuesday, April 08
Men's Basketball - Wisconsin Postgame Press Conference (3/13/25)
Thursday, March 13
