<p>During the fall, Drew Byerly is used to being the straw that stirs Franklin’s drink. A starter for three and a half seasons at quarterback, he led the Grizzly Cubs to their best football season in a generation this year.</p>
<p>The plan this winter is to carry that over to the basketball court.</p>
<p>As the Grizzly Cubs’ lone returning starter, Byerly figures to be the focal point for a team looking to replace six graduated players, including a pair of All-County wings in Cory Richards and Reece Thomson.</p>
<p>"We’re going to lean on Drew, obviously," Franklin coach Brad Dickey said. "He’s our one sure thing returning player that can catch the ball and handle the ball and defend and rebound. We’re counting on that from him."</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>Byerly was effective playmaker out of the high post the last few years, leading Franklin last season in rebounds (144) and assists (66) while adding 12.3 points per game. He knows he’s likely to have a larger workload this winter, but is ready for whatever role he’s called on to play.</p>
<p>"I could be playing more outside this year," Byerly said. "I handled the ball enough to where I’m okay with doing whatever I need to do this year, either playing inside or outside."</p>
<p>Byerly, along with fellow seniors Christian McClure and Peyton Ruble, started practice a bit late because of the team’s success on the football field; the Grizzly Cubs went 8-3 and reached the sectional final before bowing out against 2018 state champion New Palestine.</p>
<p>But rather than see the lost court time as a negative, Franklin coach Brad Dickey views the situation from the plus side.</p>
<p>"Generally, we know how we want to play basketball," he said, "and specifically, we want to have great athletes. We want to have studs."</p>
<p>For his part, Byerly believes that the football season will provide a nice springboard in terms of morale — one that the school hadn’t been used to getting in recent years.</p>
<p>"It’s definitely a different vibe, I’d say, going from two wins to eight wins," he said, "but I think it’ll be a different mentality just from the football guys coming into this year knowing that we just had a pretty successful season. We’re definitely all hoping for that to translate on the court."</p>
<p>Those football players should have plenty of help — but much of it will be coming from young, unproven players. McClure and junior Damon Dickey saw some action in the backcourt last season, and sophomore Thomas Crow got some post minutes, but they’re the only ones beyond Byerly bringing any meaningful varsity experience to the table.</p>
<p>Dickey, who showed flashes of his potential with 16 points off the bench in a county tournament win over Indian Creek, has gone through quite a bit of physical development in the offseason — which, he says, was sorely needed.</p>
<p>"Physically, last year I just couldn’t compete with the varsity guys," he said, "and this year I’ve definitely developed more. We’ll see how it goes."</p>
<p>The elder Dickey isn’t entirely sure what to expect just yet — he says the season "could go in a lot of different directions" — but he’s eager to see how it all shakes out.</p>
<p>"I think everyone is eager to pitch in," the coach said. "We’ve seen a lot of players doing things that they didn’t necessarily get a chance to do last year, and they’re practicing in a way that tells me we have some options — and we’ll have to search all the options."</p>[sc:pullout-title pullout-title="Scouting the Grizzly Cubs" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p>Coach: Brad Dickey (sixth season)</p>
<p>Last season: 19-8, lost to Center Grove in Class 4A sectional final</p>
<p>Key returnees: Drew Byerly, Christian McClure and Peyton Ruble, seniors; Damon Dickey, junior</p>
<p>Top newcomers: Max Lancer and Will McLaughlin, juniors; Thomas Crow, Adam Ellinghausen and Jumpshot Warner, sophomores</p>
<p>What to expect: The Grizzly Cubs enter the season with a number of unknowns and one really big known in Byerly, who could contend for county player of the year honors. The versatile big man will likely be the sun around which Franklin orbits. He should have help, though; Crow, McClure and Damon Dickey have all played meaningful varsity minutes, while Ellinghausen and Warner join Crow in leading a big sophomore class that will need to make major contributions for this team to succeed. The Grizzly Cubs expect to contend for Mid-State Conference and sectional titles every year, and the window should be open for them to take a shot again this winter.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end][sc:pullout-title pullout-title="3 points with Damon Dickey" ][sc:pullout-text-begin]<p><strong>1. Besides your own, what’s your favorite gym to play in?</strong></p>
<p>Shelbyville has a really nice gym. The aura surrounding it is amazing.</p>
<p><strong>2. Which nonconference opponent are you most looking forward to playing?</strong></p>
<p>Center Grove.</p>
<p><strong>3. If you could steal one skill from one of your teammates, what would it be?</strong></p>
<p>Drew Byerly’s athleticism. He’s just a freak right now.</p>[sc:pullout-text-end]
