Since transferring from Adrienne C. Nelson High School his junior year, senior Vince Faris has enjoyed a successful two seasons with the La Salle boys varsity basketball team.

Next year, he will continue his journey in Division III at Pacific University. 

With his decision, Faris joins the Falconer’s Next Level Seniors, a series that features seniors who have committed to play their sport at the collegiate level. 

For Faris, basketball is more than a sport. 

“I’ve … built so much community and so many connections,” he said. “It’s so much more than the game itself.” 

As a child, Faris participated in a few different sports — including soccer and flag football — but none of them intrigued him as much as basketball. After playing the sport recreationally from kindergarten to fifth grade, he switched to competitive basketball in sixth grade. Throughout high school, when he wasn’t playing for his school, he played for the club G.R.I.T. (Gratitude Resiliency Intensity Togetherness). 

The head coach of Pacific University happens to run the club, and as a result, Faris developed a mentor-like relationship with him that allowed him a unique glimpse into what the head coach was looking for in players.

Even with his mentorship, the road to commitment for Faris was a long one. 

Since he was young, Faris had his mind set on playing basketball for Pacific University and studying optometry. After sophomore year at Nelson, however, he was feeling slightly burnt out from basketball. 

Seeking a more rigorous course load, he transferred to La Salle, which did gradually reinvigorate his passion for the sport — but he still wasn’t sure if he wanted to play at the next level.

“I was so on the fence,” he said. “I had kind of lost the love of the game, and I was like ‘Dude, I am not going to get this back.’” 

Shortly after his final season at La Salle, however, the head coach at Pacific University reached out to him again and offered him a spot in the program — but Faris wavered between accepting a spot on the team or taking on the role of a team manager.

Throughout the past few months, Faris sought advice from many people, including his parents, coaches, and pastors. On Wednesday, April 29, he made the call to accept his spot on the team. 

Now, Faris is taking a bit of a break from basketball to ensure that his love of the game can continue to prosper, instead trying out boys volleyball this spring.

“I’m so bad, but it’s okay,” he said. “It’s so fun.”  

On the basketball team, Faris played power forward, center, and stretch forward. He looked up to head coach Sean Kelly, as his mindset and coaching was formative to Faris as a player. 

From coach Kelly, he learned that “it really doesn’t matter how good you are at the sport, it’s honestly how much you’re willing to work,” he said. “If you’re willing to put yourself out there for your teammates and for the game, you’re going to be successful.” 

This season, Faris and senior Sam Johnson were the only two seniors on the team. 

During his junior year, the team was extremely senior-heavy, so having to quickly step into the role of a leader was a challenge, he said. It also presented some difficulties as the balance between seniors and the rest of the team was not evenly split. 

“It was really hard to have that influence,” he said. “This year, with two seniors, and then eight juniors, and one sophomore, it was really hard.”

Faris said that he enjoyed the season regardless, and he learned a lot about leadership after being put in that position. 

“It’s more about the quality of leadership … than quantity,” he said. “Sam is more of a lead-by-example kind of [captain], and I’m more of a talk-it-out.”

Faris said his best memories throughout his time playing basketball at La Salle have been the two Bend trips they took to play games and winning state in his junior year. The Bend trips provided Faris’ favorite memories with senior Luke Wardwell, who was the team manager, as he said they got to bond while playing Super Mario together in the hotel. 

“There are just so many stories that I can talk about all day — it was just really fun,” he said. “That’s what basketball is about … the community, not the sport itself.” 

One significant challenge Faris dealt with while playing for La Salle was a knee injury during his junior year right before the team’s playoff run, ultimately affecting his ability to play. 

“My minutes were limited because my ability to play was limited,” he said. “My performance wasn’t as good as it was before.” 

In addition to this challenge, balancing academics with basketball can be difficult, he said, as he chose to take AP classes both years at La Salle. However, he said it has also been crucial in teaching him how to complete tasks.

“Basketball has helped me a lot with time management,” he said. “I think the one thing that’s super important is being able to understand your priorities and know what classes need the most attention.” 

Faris prioritizes getting his homework done, beginning with his AP classes before moving on to do things he enjoys. Though he said this can limit the time he has to do other things, he doesn’t feel he is losing too much of the time he could be spending with people he enjoys being around. 

“The time you spend with friends is during sports,” he said. “That’s what makes … basketball so special.”

The community on the basketball team and at La Salle is something that Faris deeply appreciates about the school. From his experience, he said that La Salle has many traditions that make sports enjoyable, and the amount of people that come to games, even if they don’t know the players, is really important. 

“I think it’s really special how closely tied the community is,” he said. 

In life, Faris said he looks up to Jesus, but specifically for basketball, his mother is his greatest inspiration.

“She’s put so much time, effort, and money into me, and she just loves watching me play,” he said. “I can’t be more grateful for her.” 

As his mom was a former collegiate volleyball player, Faris said he really values how much work she dedicated toward her success, and he would like to be the same way. 

“I look up to her,” he said. “She’s honestly the reason why I’m still playing … I want to make her proud.”

Faris said working toward goals in basketball has taught him a lot, and he encourages younger athletes to always keep going even if things get hard. 

“How you start is how you should finish,” he said. “Don’t give up on anything, keep pursuing what you believe in, [and] don’t ever think you’re not enough.”