When a group of young players gets thrown into the fire, it can go one of two ways.
Sometimes, those young players take the experience and grow into winners as they become juniors and seniors. In other cases, the early losses get to be a habit that never gets broken.
Franklin girls basketball coach Josh Sabol isn’t worried about the latter scenario with his team.
“Our kids aren’t built that way at all,” he said. “Our kids, they’re high achievers. These are kids that, our overall team GPA is a 3.71. We have the highest character, hardest-working girls in the school, our chemistry is through the roof, so I’m not worried about that at all.”
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The Grizzly Cubs finished 8-15 as a sophomore-dominated outfit last winter, but six of those losses came by six points or less. Now that those same players are juniors, the hope is that they can figure out how to close out those tight games.
“We all have been playing together now for a while,” junior Peyton Wilson said, “and this year will be the year that we can really put it all together, and with that experience we can win games.”
“Our expectations are shifting this year,” classmate Abby DeArmitt added. “We’ve been trying to make our practices tougher and going against each other more in more game-like situations so we can finish out those close games.”
DeArmitt and Wilson were both starters last year along with fellow junior Hailee Robbins, the team’s top returning scorer. That trio should get help from Bayleigh Torrance, the Grizzly Cubs’ lone senior, and a handful of underclassmen that were able to gain varsity experience last winter.
Sabol utilizes a positionless system that forces all of his players to develop their all-around games. DeArmitt, primarily a post player in the past, will likely spend more time out on the perimeter, and just about everyone will have a hand in handling the ball.
“All of us are able to handle the ball pretty well and get up and down the floor at the same pace,” Wilson said, “so I think it really fits us as a whole.”
In theory, that should help cover for the absence of injured sophomore Kyra Baker, who was Franklin’s starting point guard as a ninth-grader. Baker hopes to return sometime during the season.
No matter how long it takes for Franklin to get back to full strength, Sabol is optimistic about the future — both in the short and long term.
“The best thing about it is, not only are we young and getting better,” Sabol said, “but we’re going to have this group together for a while. So it’s pretty exciting.”
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Coach: Josh Sabol
Last season: 8-15, lost to Center Grove in sectional semifinal
Top returnees: Bayleigh Torrance, senior; Abby DeArmitt, Hailee Robbins and Peyton Wilson, juniors; Kyra Baker, Liv Parramore and Lauren Sandrock, sophomores
Key newcomers: Kiki Crabtree, junior; Kuryn Brunson, freshman
What to expect: The Grizzly Cubs will lean heavily on a large junior class that has taken some lumps the last two years but appears poised to turn the corner. Robbins is one of the top returning scorers in the county, and classmates DeArmitt and Wilson should help provide some assistance in that department as well. Ballhandling will be handled by committee as point guard Baker works her way back from an offseason knee injury, but if Franklin can fill that void capably, all of the other pieces are in place for a winning season.
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Which gym is your favorite — or least favorite — to play in, and why?
"I like Columbus North’s gym; I like how it’s really big. My least favorite is probably Greenwood. I just don’t like their gym."
Which team not on your schedule would you most want to play?
"Carmel. We played them this summer at Purdue, and I think we just need to have more games that push us, because they’re really good."
Which player that we might not know about is likely to have a breakout season?
"Kiki Crabtree. She didn’t play last year, but she came back and she’s been working really hard and I think she’ll have a good year.
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