Image Aside, Faaborg Leads MSU
12/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Danny Faaborg knows his image. He knows he looks like anything but a Division I student-athlete at times riding around the MSU campus on a long-board, with his wavy blond hair blowing in the breeze. He also knows his summertime excursions to South Carolina and Central America have cast him as something of an eccentric.
And he doesn't care.
"I get razzed a lot because people might think the focus isn't so much there for basketball, but that's never been the case," said Faaborg, who has been known as much for his easy smile, his good-natured demeanor, and his wide array of interests as his ability to shoot three-pointers during his four-plus seasons at Montana State. The outward appearances mask a burning passion, though.
"I love this game," Faaborg says. "I wouldn't have come back for my senior year if it wasn't for how much I love basketball."
There was a time last spring when his return wasn't a foregone conclusion. The Bobcats had just finished a disappointing 11-16 season in which the team didn't qualify for the Big Sky Tournament for only the fourth time in Mick Durham's 13 seasons as head coach. But the campaign was particularly miserable for Faaborg, because he was plagued by a mysterious back injury.
"(The injury) was painful, but the thing that was the worst about it was that there wasn't a cure for it and it got to the point that people were thinking that there wasn't something there. That's frustrating as a player because it's your body and you know something's bothering you, but to the outside there's not really a diagnosis, so people start questioning whether you're really injured. That was frustrating. I just needed to take the time and let it heal. People in the spring were saying why aren't you playing, why aren't you lifting, but that time off helped a lot."
The down time healed the back injury, and Faaborg has re-established himself as a starter and as a threat for the Bobcats this season. The fifth-year senior from Bozeman High averages 7.1 points a game, and his 15 three-pointers is second on the squad. The season has unfolded a little big against the grain for Faaborg, however. Asked to play some power forward early in the season - he had played the perimeter throughout his college career - he has been forced to guard bigger, stronger players, and to hold his own on the glass.
As with most things, Faaborg took the change in stride. "Anything that gets me on the court," he says with a laugh, and adds that the move is not without advantages. "I have to guard the bigger guys, but I get to drag those guys outside a little bit, and that's kind of nice. I've got quite a few more open looks than when I was playing the three."
Durham said that has been the most positive element of Faaborg playing some power forward. "Danny has been active and he's done a good job getting his shots with bigger players guarding him. He's forcing those players to work hard defensively."
Faaborg's ability to knock down jumpers and his work ethic have kept him on the floor throughout his career as a Bobcat. Originally slated to redshirt as a freshman, Faaborg played his way into the team's rotation during fall camp but injured his hand early during his first season and ended up taking a medical hardship year. The next year, as a freshman, he played in 29 games, and a year later started two of his 29 games. He started five games last season, and has started all nine games this year.
The on-court rigors of college basketball weren't the biggest obstacles Faaborg faced early in his career. "The thing in the transition that was the hardest was all the game-time preparation, the video, the traveling," he said. "As a freshman that gets really old, because you're not used to it all. You're used to coming to the gym and playing, and not worrying about all the mental preparation stuff. The most surprise thing as a freshman was that there were a lot of people I could guard. I earned my minutes on defense. I think that was surprising to me. It's hard to defend people, but I thought I was pretty prepared for that part of it."
During his five seasons as a Bobcat, Faaborg hasn't been all about basketball. An excellent student, he has spent his summers in activities ranging from working as a baker in Lawrence, Kans., to teaching water skiing in South Carolina to living in Central America. "It's been nice because it's given me a little more cultural diversity as far as seeing what else out there. Overall, I wanted to make sure that I did have a college experience, and that it wasn't just one thing I locked on to for five years. The summers I think have been a good breather, a good break, from what goes on all year long."
Faaborg has designs on medical school, but plans to return to Central America next year in order to earn a second bachelor's degree in Spanish. "The Spanish has been good preparation for the future. We saw on our trip to Florida that there are a lot of Spanish-speaking individuals." He will take advantage of his time in Central America to do volunteer work in medical clinics, as well.
For now, however, Faaborg is concentrating on basketball, his first love. This year's Bobcat team has seven new players, including five freshmen. Two of those freshmen, Nick Dissly and PJ Owsley, are, like Faaborg, former Bozeman Hawk standouts. "It's nice. I'm a senior and I'm playing hard, and I feel like when those guys come around and start really playing, which we've started to see, we're going to be rolling. I get a lot out of seeing those guys do well, especially because two of them are local guys, Nick and PJ. It's really exciting and fun to have those guys came from the same background I did. They're having fun and playing hard."
The common roots give Faaborg, Dissly and Owsley an unspoken bond, Faaborg said. "I think we have a common cause. They're my guys. Coming into the season I wasn't quite sure how it would work out. It's been fun."
The success of former Bozeman High players is not accidental, Faaborg said, attributing part of it to BHS coach Mike Cole's program. "Coach Cole is a stickler and he's a defensive maniac. The way he runs practice, it's almost military-like, with your toes on the baseline and the way he does things. It's not a military atmosphere, but he's a nut on discipline, and it teaches you to conform to the program. There are definitely no individuals in his program."
Faaborg sees the Bobcats, for all the team's youth, rounding into form. "We're right there," he says. "The Denver game and the Wyoming game, we played well. There are small little things need to be tweaked a little bit. I know the record doesn't look great, but in practice the energy is still there. After the Santa Clara game, I haven't felt that bad in the Fieldhouse for a long time, but in the practice after that game people showed me that we aren't going to give up. Going into the conference season, we'll be ready."
The Bobcats host the Holiday Stores Big R Classic on December 29-30, featuring Morgan State, Western Carolina, and Southeast Louisiana. MSU faces Morgan State on December 29 at 8 pm, while WCU and SLU play at 5:30 pm.
And he doesn't care.
"I get razzed a lot because people might think the focus isn't so much there for basketball, but that's never been the case," said Faaborg, who has been known as much for his easy smile, his good-natured demeanor, and his wide array of interests as his ability to shoot three-pointers during his four-plus seasons at Montana State. The outward appearances mask a burning passion, though.
"I love this game," Faaborg says. "I wouldn't have come back for my senior year if it wasn't for how much I love basketball."
There was a time last spring when his return wasn't a foregone conclusion. The Bobcats had just finished a disappointing 11-16 season in which the team didn't qualify for the Big Sky Tournament for only the fourth time in Mick Durham's 13 seasons as head coach. But the campaign was particularly miserable for Faaborg, because he was plagued by a mysterious back injury.
"(The injury) was painful, but the thing that was the worst about it was that there wasn't a cure for it and it got to the point that people were thinking that there wasn't something there. That's frustrating as a player because it's your body and you know something's bothering you, but to the outside there's not really a diagnosis, so people start questioning whether you're really injured. That was frustrating. I just needed to take the time and let it heal. People in the spring were saying why aren't you playing, why aren't you lifting, but that time off helped a lot."
The down time healed the back injury, and Faaborg has re-established himself as a starter and as a threat for the Bobcats this season. The fifth-year senior from Bozeman High averages 7.1 points a game, and his 15 three-pointers is second on the squad. The season has unfolded a little big against the grain for Faaborg, however. Asked to play some power forward early in the season - he had played the perimeter throughout his college career - he has been forced to guard bigger, stronger players, and to hold his own on the glass.
As with most things, Faaborg took the change in stride. "Anything that gets me on the court," he says with a laugh, and adds that the move is not without advantages. "I have to guard the bigger guys, but I get to drag those guys outside a little bit, and that's kind of nice. I've got quite a few more open looks than when I was playing the three."
Durham said that has been the most positive element of Faaborg playing some power forward. "Danny has been active and he's done a good job getting his shots with bigger players guarding him. He's forcing those players to work hard defensively."
Faaborg's ability to knock down jumpers and his work ethic have kept him on the floor throughout his career as a Bobcat. Originally slated to redshirt as a freshman, Faaborg played his way into the team's rotation during fall camp but injured his hand early during his first season and ended up taking a medical hardship year. The next year, as a freshman, he played in 29 games, and a year later started two of his 29 games. He started five games last season, and has started all nine games this year.
The on-court rigors of college basketball weren't the biggest obstacles Faaborg faced early in his career. "The thing in the transition that was the hardest was all the game-time preparation, the video, the traveling," he said. "As a freshman that gets really old, because you're not used to it all. You're used to coming to the gym and playing, and not worrying about all the mental preparation stuff. The most surprise thing as a freshman was that there were a lot of people I could guard. I earned my minutes on defense. I think that was surprising to me. It's hard to defend people, but I thought I was pretty prepared for that part of it."
During his five seasons as a Bobcat, Faaborg hasn't been all about basketball. An excellent student, he has spent his summers in activities ranging from working as a baker in Lawrence, Kans., to teaching water skiing in South Carolina to living in Central America. "It's been nice because it's given me a little more cultural diversity as far as seeing what else out there. Overall, I wanted to make sure that I did have a college experience, and that it wasn't just one thing I locked on to for five years. The summers I think have been a good breather, a good break, from what goes on all year long."
Faaborg has designs on medical school, but plans to return to Central America next year in order to earn a second bachelor's degree in Spanish. "The Spanish has been good preparation for the future. We saw on our trip to Florida that there are a lot of Spanish-speaking individuals." He will take advantage of his time in Central America to do volunteer work in medical clinics, as well.
For now, however, Faaborg is concentrating on basketball, his first love. This year's Bobcat team has seven new players, including five freshmen. Two of those freshmen, Nick Dissly and PJ Owsley, are, like Faaborg, former Bozeman Hawk standouts. "It's nice. I'm a senior and I'm playing hard, and I feel like when those guys come around and start really playing, which we've started to see, we're going to be rolling. I get a lot out of seeing those guys do well, especially because two of them are local guys, Nick and PJ. It's really exciting and fun to have those guys came from the same background I did. They're having fun and playing hard."
The common roots give Faaborg, Dissly and Owsley an unspoken bond, Faaborg said. "I think we have a common cause. They're my guys. Coming into the season I wasn't quite sure how it would work out. It's been fun."
The success of former Bozeman High players is not accidental, Faaborg said, attributing part of it to BHS coach Mike Cole's program. "Coach Cole is a stickler and he's a defensive maniac. The way he runs practice, it's almost military-like, with your toes on the baseline and the way he does things. It's not a military atmosphere, but he's a nut on discipline, and it teaches you to conform to the program. There are definitely no individuals in his program."
Faaborg sees the Bobcats, for all the team's youth, rounding into form. "We're right there," he says. "The Denver game and the Wyoming game, we played well. There are small little things need to be tweaked a little bit. I know the record doesn't look great, but in practice the energy is still there. After the Santa Clara game, I haven't felt that bad in the Fieldhouse for a long time, but in the practice after that game people showed me that we aren't going to give up. Going into the conference season, we'll be ready."
The Bobcats host the Holiday Stores Big R Classic on December 29-30, featuring Morgan State, Western Carolina, and Southeast Louisiana. MSU faces Morgan State on December 29 at 8 pm, while WCU and SLU play at 5:30 pm.
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