Midway through the 2020-21 campaign, Franklin (10-1, 6-0 SWBL Southwestern) leads the division once again heading into a pair of non-league games against Waynesville and Versailles this weekend.
“We always have high expectations here because of our tradition, but I knew it could be an interesting year,” Bales said. “We lost six seniors to graduation and our staff really wanted a summer with these guys because of how new they were going to be playing together, and we really didn’t have a summer because of COVID. We had a good November getting ready and they’ve come together really well.”
Franklin’s roster features all juniors and seniors. The team starts one senior with Tez Lattimore in his second year at point guard, and he is surrounded by four juniors in Nate Paarlberg, Noah Rich, Jayden Bennett and Isaiah Bales. Rich and Lattimore are the only two returners who saw significant playing time last year, but Paarlberg was limited by a back injury and otherwise could have contributed more.
Now, Paarlberg leads the team with 19.1 points per game, also chipping in 6.7 rebounds per game, and Rich (16.2 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and Lattimore (10.5 ppg, 2.4 apg) follow to give the team three double-digit scorers. Bennett and Isaiah Bales also are contributing at least 6.5 points per game, and coach Bales has been pleased with the bench production from players like senior Caleb Barnhart, Grant Crase and Hudson Black.
“We were allowed to do four-man workouts in the fall so we used those to improve our skill level, but as far as a team and knowing what we would look like as a full group, we didn’t go to camps and things like that in the summer, so figuring out the pieces and how they would work together, that was something we couldn’t do until we got together our first practices,” coach Bales said.
One thing that really helped was that Bales had been working with the junior class since second grade while coaching his son, Isaiah, through youth basketball. That class makes up seven of the 11 spots on the varsity roster, and most of the players grew up watching Wildcats basketball when Luke Kennard (now a guard for the L.A. Clippers) was dominating area headlines from 2011-2015.
Isaiah Bales, part of the group that cut down the nets last year after winning the SWBL title, was 4 years old when Franklin won its first championship under Bales in 2009 and served as a ball boy for the team through the early part of a run of eight straight titles.
“It’s a tight-knit group, and I think because of our chemistry, the guys were able to get together pretty quickly,” coach Bales said. “They are close off the court, and I’ve been with this junior class so long, they know what to expect from me.”
This year’s group makes the team a little more versatile, too, because the Wildcats have two 6-foot-6 players in Rich and Paarlberg, which gives them length on the court at all times. Franklin usually has been known more for its outside shooting and quick defense but this year, the Wildcats can score in multiple ways and mix things up on defense a little. They play some full-court press and some half-court man defense, but a matchup zone has become more of their identity because of their length.
“In the past, we would live and die by the 3, but this year, I feel like we can shoot it but we do a lot of things inside,” Bales said. “We have a couple guys who are really good attacking off dribble but we can also shoot the 3, so we score in a lot of different ways. And, as always, we want to hang our hat on the defensive end. There are nights you don’t shoot well and you’ve got to be able to hang your hat on defense and we feel like our guys do a pretty nice job there.”
Franklin has won eight straight heading into Friday’s game at home against Waynesville (7-6, 6-2 SWBL Buckeye), and the Wildcats hold a two-game lead on Bellbrook for first in the Southwestern Division. A game against Bellbrook originally scheduled for this Tuesday was postponed.
Bales said he doesn’t have to talk about a championship goal with his players. They’ve seen the team win enough of them over the years, they know the expectation.
“Guys who grew up around our program, that’s something they strive to be able to do some day,” Bales said. “… Halfway through the season, with COVID and quarantines, this is the craziest season I’ve been a part of. There was a time we didn’t play for 10 days, twice, so I’m really proud how the guys have continued to stay locked in and stayed the course and been able to work through that.”
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