Dana Hills’ Fallon Changes Attitude, Improves Game

Coaches and players who haven’t seen Dana Hills senior Brandon Fallon play tennis in a couple of years are in for a surprise.

Fallon has drastically toned down his on-court tantrums that occasionally made John McEnroe look tame.

But it’s not just the attitude that has changed. The game is different too. Fallon isn’t satisfied anymore to camp out on the baseline and exchange ground strokes with opponents. He has begun to force the action more and venture into the net for put-aways. He’s even starting to serve and volley a little.

Those who have seen Fallon lately have noticed the changes.

“I saw him last year and I told him I thought he had really improved his demeanor,” said Mission Viejo Coach Bill Smith, who used to be one of Fallon’s biggest critics.

Dana Hills Coach John Stephens said Fallon has improved his demeanor each year.

“I’m not going to say he’s an angel, but he’s worked on his attitude,” Stephens said. “He’s just a lot more mature.”

He’s also a lot more popular.

“I’m hearing all these tennis players coming up to me saying, ‘We didn’t like you before,’ ” Fallon said. “But that’s also what I don’t like about tennis players. They’re so snobby. They don’t want to talk to you unless you’re like them.”

No one would accuse Fallon of being a snob. A rebel, maybe.

Fallon often complements his crew-cut and sideburns with grungy tennis attire--long shorts and a faded T-shirt. This summer while playing a satellite tournament, Fallon learned that grunge was not trendy in pro tennis.

“I didn’t know you had to wear collared shirts,” he said. “I had to borrow money so I could buy one.”

Fallon said fashion faux pas and attitude adjustments are only part of his evolution as a tennis player and a person.

“I was like a little kid before,” he said. “Over time, I’ve matured. I’ve told myself, I can’t get mad anymore on the court. It’s hurting my game and my reputation. Before, I didn’t really care about my reputation.”

Fallon’s reputation might have scared away some college coaches, but his phone was still ringing this summer with offers from Division I schools. Fallon settled on Nevada Las Vegas after taking recruiting trips to Notre Dame and UC Irvine. In April, Fallon will sign with UNLV in April and receive a full scholarship.

But before he goes off to college, Fallon has a few things left to accomplish in high school. He would like to win the Ojai tournament--last year he reached the semifinals. He also wouldn’t mind winning Southern Section team and individual titles. His chances for all three are much better now that Corona del Mar’s top two players, Taylor Dent and Boris Turkich, are pursuing other tennis interests and Woodbridge’s No. 1 player, Chase Exon, is not playing because of a practice time conflict with his head coach.

One of Fallon’s best friends on the team is No. 2 singles player Brian Kent.

“With Exon and Dent gone, I don’t know who else in the county can beat him,” Kent said. “His serve’s improved and he’s gotten a lot stronger with his volleys. But he still likes to stay at the baseline and pound.”

But at least now Fallon is only pounding tennis balls and not beating up himself or opponents anymore. The record shows Fallon has come a long way.

He lost 16 sets as a freshman, eight as a sophomore and only two last year. One of those losses was to Dent, 6-4. The other to Woodbridge’s Adam Artunian, 7-6.

The way Fallon is playing, an undefeated regular season is possible.

“My all-around game is much better now than it ever was,” he said. “I feel like I can beat anybody now. I didn’t really know how to volley. I do now and I know I needed to improve on that part of my game to go to the next level.

“You can win from the baseline, but it’s a lot tougher. I learned this summer playing satellites that the better players are so quick, you have to be able to close off points.”

Fallon, ranked ninth in Southern California last year in the boys’ 18s, is off to a nice start in this, his last year of junior tennis. He reached the semifinals at San Diego and lost in the round of 16 at Fullerton.

But even losing doesn’t sound so bad anymore.

“I enjoy playing more now,” he said. “I don’t feel as much pressure. I know where I’m going now.”

Boys’ Tennis at a Glance

Top players: Adam Artunian, Woodbridge, Jr.; Eric Bachelor, Mission Viejo, Jr.; Jonny Biorkman, University, Sr.; John Cappello, Corona del Mar, Sr.; B.K. Chang, Villa Park, Sr.; Chris Chung, Sunny Hills, Sr.; Brandon Fallon, Dana Hills, Sr.; Reza Farokhpay, Woodbridge, Sr.; Burt Gonzell, Aliso Niguel, Sr.; Joost Hol, Foothill, Jr.; Andro Ignacio, Garden Grove, Sr.; Cody Jackson, Los Alamitos, So.; Brian Kent, Dana Hills, So.; Beau Kojima, Edison, So.; Mike Leonard, Estancia, Sr.; Greg Levy, Woodbridge, Jr.; Thomas Lloyd, Esperanza, So.; Dave Lingman, Woodbridge, So.; Ryan Moore, Servite, Jr.; Michael Nguyen, Capistrano Valley, Fr.; Michael Peng, El Dorado, So.; Brandon Shainfeld, Woodbridge, Jr.; Cody Shedd, Santa Margarita, Jr.; Chris Tobolski, Valencia, Sr.; Andy Tsu, Santa Margarita, Sr.

League favorites: Century: Villa Park; Empire: El Dorado; Freeway: Sunny Hills; Garden Grove: Garden Grove; Golden West: Servite; Olympic: Cerritos Valley Christian; Orange: Valencia; Pacific Coast: University; Sea View: Woodbridge; South Coast: Dana Hills; Sunset: Los Alamitos.

1996 final poll: 1. Corona del Mar; 2. University; 3. Woodbridge; 4. Dana Hills; 5. Sunny Hills; 6. Garden Grove; 7. Los Alamitos; 8. Brea Olinda; 9. Santa Margarita; 10. Mission Viejo.

1997 preseason poll: 1. Woodbridge; 2. Dana Hills; 3. Corona del Mar; 4. Sunny Hills; 5. Aliso Viejo; 6. Garden Grove; 7. University; 8. Mission Viejo; 9. Santa Margarita; 10. El Dorado.

Key dates: March 22, Palm Springs Tournament, Riviera Country Club and three other sites; April 24-26, Ojai tournament; May 20, 22, 27, 29, June 4, Southern Section team tournament; May 24, 30, 31, Southern Section individual tournament.

Notes: The Vic Braden Cup, which featured 16 of the top teams in the country and was hosted by Century High, will not be played this year. But Palm Springs High will host a similar style tournament at the Riviera Country Club. Corona del Mar, Woodbridge, Santa Margarita, Dana Hills, Capistrano Valley and Mission Viejo will play. . . . Laguna Hills senior Kevin Arnold, ranked 49th in Southern California in the boys’ 18s, injured his arm in a snow-boarding accident and will not play this year. Three of the top 10 players in the boys’ 18s are playing--Moore (6), Fallon (9) and Chung (10). . . . The Sunset, Empire and Orange leagues will play a 24-point format. Under the format, players must play at least a set of singles and doubles. . . . Los Alamitos lost one of its top players when Ali Kermani transferred to Woodbridge, but the Griffins still have plenty of talent. Cody Jackson, Ed Huang and Brian Geddes are returning all-leaguers. . . . Jonny Biorkman will join Joseph Gilbert and Ryan Thompson, who played at Sunny Hills and Foothill, at Boise State.