Following Mom to the Next Level

I have been involved in Houston Girl’s Basketball for a very long time and when I say I have seen many of the kids in the very early stages of developing on the court, this story is a perfect example. I met Sonya and Fallon Ellis while mom was coaching for the Houstonians back in 1999. I was trying to get my daughters involved in a little more competitive basketball than the YMCA or other type leagues were offering and I figured Fonde Recreation was a good place to start.

I heard that Sonya played college ball, but I never asked her anything about it.  When I did ask, I found out she was definitely a player at the University of Houston back in the old Southwest Conference days. Sonya once scored 30 points in only half of a game, she lead the team in scoring three years while making All Southwest Conference each of those three years, including Player of Year in her senior season. To top that off, she was named First Team All Decade.

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Fallon was six years old and played on the Houstonians 10U team with my younger daughter and right then I could see the excitement and energy this young lady had along with her eagerness to learn. Another very young player on that team you may have heard of was Kelsey Bone, who was only only seven at the time.

I lost track of Fallon and Sonya but the next time I saw Fallon, I was amazed at how tall she had grown and how her game had developed.. I guess I shouldn’t have since it was in the genes, both mom and dad, Lee Ellis, played at the next level. Lee played for Texas Southern University from 1977-79 however his life was cut short in a car accident back less than five minutes away from home back in 1998.

Fallon has turned into an outstanding basketball player and has committed to Iowa State. At  5-11, she plays both the 3 and the 4 and helped lead Westbury Christian to a State Championship last season while averaging 16.9 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 1.8 spg, 66% FG. I asked her Club Coach, George Washington, who is also the Assistant Coach at Westbury Christian to sum Fallon up for me. “Fallon is one of the most accomplished, yet underrated players in Houston. Her versatility has made her a matchup problem for most defenses since a very young age. Fallon bring toughness to every team she has played on.”

She’s also one of the sweetest kids I have known over the years and it amazes me how time has flown and this young lady has grown up right before my eyes.
 
Accomplishments
All-District – First Team in Fort Bend ISD as a freshman & sophomore
All-District – First Team
All-State – First Team
State All-Tournament Team