Many a high school and college coach makes it a point not to talk about freshmen until the newcomers have proven themselves at that level.
Franklin girls basketball coach Josh Sabol is one of them this year. He’s aware of the buzz surrounding his team in the preseason, especially with the addition of a ballyhooed freshman class that has been scorching its competition through the lower grades — but he’s proceeding with caution.
"(Greenwood Christian) and Center Grove should be getting more attention than we are," Sabol said. "We need to go out there and we need to do it. Until that happens … I kind of feel like there’s other programs in this county right now that should be getting more attention than us, because those programs have done it."
What fun is that, though?
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryHalf the point of the preseason is the guessing and the intrigue — and there aren’t too many more intriguing teams in the state of Indiana right now than the Grizzly Cubs.
For starters, they’re finally healthy. Franklin has hovered just below the .500 mark in Sabol’s four seasons, but they’ve also been hobbled by a rash of major injuries, including ACL tears for standout guards Kyra Baker and Kuryn Brunson in back-to-back years.
That duo will finally get to play a full season together at full strength.
"We’ve been waiting for three years for this moment," said Baker, one of five returning seniors. "We’re really excited as a team together and for the two of us. It’s going to be a big step that we haven’t seen."
"Since my eighth-grade year, that’s all everyone’s talked about," Brunson added.
Baker and Brunson will be complemented by a senior group that also features returning starters Lauren Sandrock and Megan Thompson; expectations would be higher for these Grizzly Cubs even with just that veteran core to work with.
Those freshmen, though.
Sabol is reluctant to go into much detail about the newcomers, how many of them will be on the varsity roster and how much of an immediate impact they’ll have — but it’s clear that it won’t be zero.
The 13 ninth-graders entering the Franklin program this season have been nothing short of a juggernaut since the time they started playing basketball. Unbeaten as a team from second grade on, their middle school scores and statistics were downright cartoonish.
Final tallies like 75-9 and 66-6 were commonplace in middle school. As eighth-graders, they hit a collective 220 3-pointers in 22 games before COVID-19 cut their season short.
At the very least, Scarlett Kimbrell and Lauren Klem — varsity standouts this fall in volleyball and cross country, respectively — are likely to factor into the rotation this winter. Perhaps a few more of their classmates, such as Erica Buening, will join them.
Sabol won’t try pretending this mother lode of young talent isn’t there at all. He’s just not getting into any specifics about them just yet.
Leave that for Franklin’s opponents to figure out.
"You cannot ignore our freshman class," Sabol said. "There’s 13 freshmen, and we’re looking for them to contribute on all three levels. … They’re all pretty talented, and we’re going to be relying on them quite a bit on all three levels."
If nothing else, the influx of freshmen should make it easier for Sabol to employ the fast-paced style he prefers, throwing waves of fresh legs in to try running opponents into the ground.
The Grizzly Cubs might not have been able to do that as much in the past, especially with injuries getting in the way. But now, the possibilities are just about limitless and Sabol is eager to rev the engine.
"It’s a fun way to play," the coach said. "You’ve got more kids that you’re playing, which keeps them invested, and hopefully we’ll be able to do that all season."
With so much new talent coming aboard, it would be easy for pettiness to set in among the returning players, some of whom could see their place in the pecking order threatened by someone younger. But Sabol doesn’t see that as an issue, calling his upperclassmen the most selfless group he’s ever coached.
The Grizzly Cubs want to win, and anyone or anything that can help make that happen will be welcomed.
Quite a few folks in Franklin have been waiting for this year to come. There’s a good bit of excitement, and with good reason. Just don’t ask Sabol to feed the hype machine prematurely.
"I think that we’re heading in the right direction," he said, "but it’s got to be one of those things where we go out and do it before anyone talks anything about us in the same way."
People are already talking, whether Sabol likes it or not.
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<strong>1. Which nonconference opponent are you most looking forward to facing?</strong>
Probably Center Grove. It’s always been a rival, and I just think we have a decent chance this year.
<strong>2. Which unknown player on this team will become a household name this winter?</strong>
Natosha Root. She’s improved a lot this year. She’s put in a lot of work; she’s gotten a lot quicker.
<strong>3. Given the ongoing pandemic, how concerned are you about the season being interrupted in some way?</strong>
I’m not really worried. I have faith and I’m confident that we’ll be able to have our season. We’ll just play each game like it’s our last.
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Head coach: Josh Sabol
Last season: 9-13, lost to Franklin Central in first round of Class 4A sectional
Top returnees: Kyra Baker, Natosha Root, Lauren Sandrock and Lauren Sandrock, seniors; Kuryn Brunson, junior
Key newcomers: Abby Ferguson, senior; Dani Simon, junior; Erica Buening, Scarlett Kimbrell and Lauren Klem, freshmen
Outlook: The Grizzly Cubs finally have an entirely healthy roster, with Baker and Brunson ready to share the court at full strength for the first time. The returning nucleus of Baker, Brunson, Sandrock and Thompson is joined by a pair of incoming transfers in Simon (Indian Creek) and Ferguson (Madison), as well as a highly touted group of freshmen that has dominated its competition since it began playing together in second grade. Sabol doesn’t want to feed into the hype too much until the rookies have proven themselves at the varsity level, but there’s no denying that this is the deepest and most talented team in his five seasons at Franklin. There could be some growing pains early against a challenging schedule, but don’t be surprised if the Grizzly Cubs are contending for conference and sectional titles after the calendar flips over to 2021.
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