Last season, Jen Falconer was named to the Big South All-Academic basketball team and was top-15 in the Big South for assists. This season, the Radford University redshirt senior has helped lead the Highs to seven conference wins so far.
Jen Falconer came into the Radford University basketball program only two seasons after head coach Mike McGuire took over the helm. The dual-sport high school athlete was recruited by McGuire to become his future floor general. Neither knew what this relationship between coach and student-athlete would do, not only for that current team but the foundation of the program.
“I can honestly remember the first time I saw Jen play,” said McGuire. “I just saw a young lady who was very competitive and played the game at a fast pace. I watched her play about three times, and she just seemed like the type of kid that just hated to lose and would do anything she could to help her team win. That really drew me to her and as soon as that evaluation period was over, we quickly made a phone call.”
McGuire was hired prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. The Highlanders finished tied for tenth that year with a 7-23 record and five Big South victories. In his second season, the team finished tied for second in the conference, the best conference finish since the 2010-11 season. That 2014-15 Highlanders team went 17-14 overall with 14 conference wins and notched a postseason appearance in the WNIT First Round. The two-year record of 24-37 was definitely reflective of a program on its way to being rebuilt. And, that was the ideal situation for Falconer.
“I looked at it as an opportunity and a chance to really build something with a group of girls who knew nothing about one another,” Falconer said. “We would just see if it worked and give our all every single day. Honestly, there is something special about coming into a program that is like that and making it your own with a group of girls.”
Radford got even better after Falconer’s arrival. The 2015-16 team posted an 18-13. The ball was put into Falconer’s hands immediately with the expectation she would lead the team through facilitating and organizing the offense. After starting nine games as a true freshman, however, an ACL tear sidelined Falconer for the season. She received a medical redshirt and worked hard to come back for the 2016-17 campaign.
Her response to the injury was to start all 33 games in back-to-back seasons. She averaged 28.6 minutes per game in year one after the injury and increased that number to 32.8 during the 2017-18 season. That year, she even played more than 40 minutes in several games.
“Freshman year was tough,” Falconer said. “I learned a lot of valuable lessons like patience through my ACL tear. I think that was more of a mentally challenging year personally, and even for the team.
“We sort of lost a lot of games and had a good number of people out,” she said. “The next year, that was supposed to be ‘the group.’ We had the right personnel and the right group of girls, but we ended up going to the championship and losing. That was absolutely heartbreaking and, in that moment, it felt like all that work we put it was for nothing.
“But, you have to get right back on the horse,” Falconer said. “Ever since then, it was kind of like a turning point for us. We had a taste of losing and we didn’t like that taste. After that it started to pick up, but it was definitely bumpy. Some mentally challenging moments, some team lows, but then this last year everything really clicked for us.
“Winning the championship was by far the best moment of my career and my life,” Falconer recalled. “That was the moment when I was like ‘yes, everything was worth it.’ It’s truly a moment that is indescribable, a good feeling because you go through ACL tears, you go through 6:00 a.m. practices . . . and it came full circle for me. [smiling] I’m very happy we won.”
The 2018-19 season was a historic one for the Highlanders. They set numerous records, broke the title drought and rewrote Radford women’s basketball history. And Falconer was right in the thick of it.
Known for her scrappy, defensive-minded high-energy type of play, Falconer has been a major part of the program’s turnaround. Legacies are often talked about in sports and are mostly related to a player’s ability to stuff the stat sheet. However, for ‘The Jen-eral’ it’s a little different. What she brings to the Highlanders is something not found on the stat sheet. It won’t show up in pluses and minuses, but instead on banners hanging from the rafters.
“You could instantly feel her investment in this program from the start, along with her appreciation for the opportunity to just be here,” said McGuire. “And, as a result, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we have been successful since she’s been here. She’s not been a player who has always shown up in high numbers and statistics, but her impact has shown up in wins and in championships.”
On the court, Falconer this season is climbing the individual career top-10 leaderboard in assists, three-point field goal attempts and set the Radford school record for games played back on Jan. 28 against Campbell. Falconer humbly credits the athletic training staff, her teammates and Coach McGuire for reaching the milestone. “Just to be a part of this program is an honor, plus to be given the chance to do something that most people can’t really say they did,” Falconer said. “It’s nice that they [teammates and coaches] have that trust in me.”
McGuire credits Falconer with being a role model and a true example for the kind of young women the Highlander program needs. He credits the floor presence she developed through the years after her injury to the creation of her nickname: “The Jen-eral.” Her competitive fire and high level of approach to each contest, leads her to understanding as well as executing the various game plans at a high level.
To her credit,” the head coach said. Falconer has “been very consistent. I’ve tried to help her understand that her value has been bigger than numbers. It’s been in her presence, her consistency, her unselfishness, which every team needs to win championships. She’s played a huge role in all of that in her five years.
“Being a great teammate matters,” McGuire said. “Putting a huge premium on hard work, commitment and buying into a program does pay off, and Jen has embodied all of that. I think her legacy will be felt in this program for a long time, I know it will be for as long as I am here. She will be somebody I refer to quite often about what it takes to have a great experience, how to win,and how to compete at a high level. She’s been one of the best, honestly, that I’ve ever coached.”
The scrappy point guard who has been leading the charge for the Highlanders since the 2015-16 season, is becoming more comfortable with her nickname. After being unsure initially, Falconer has embraced the moniker. “It’s me,” she said. “I think it fits. It’s kind of cool that I have a nickname and people call me by it. It is truly humbling; I hope that I embody it well by being the oldest and a point guard.”
Off the court, she finds time to do numerous community service work as well as being a graduate assistant in her respective department. She’s been named to the Big South All-Academic team numerous times as she has maintained a GPA of 4.0 in her current graduate program. The recipient of a number of awards, she has also been selected to represent the university on behalf of the athletics department at various Big South Conference events.
When asked about her legacy and how she would like Highlander Nation to remember her she simply replied, “I want people to remember me not as a basketball player, but just as a good person. I try to do that every single day, to work hard to be a good person regardless of the outcome or the situation. Life is all about trying to be the best person you can be.”
–RU Athletics
