Senior Dylan Beverly should play an even larger role for Franklin this winter.
Daily Journal file photo
Dylan Beverly was one of only two Franklin players who appeared in all 27 of the team’s games last season, but as the Grizzly Cubs were making their unexpected late-season surge — one that ended with a sectional championship and a trip to a Class 4A regional final — he found himself getting nudged to the back of the rotation.
The 6-foot-6 senior never took it personally. Which is good, because according to Franklin coach Adrian Moss, it was never personal.
“It was just a lineup situation,” Moss said. “With (since-graduated center) Tristan Coleman, he figured it out — and he’s a grown man out there. And it just worked out better. Our four guards … I just ended up playing them all together, and it worked. We got on a roll with that group, that four-guard group, and just kind of rolled with it. Dylan did a great job being a good teammate, coming off the bench and just providing defense and using his athleticism. But this year, it’s a different story. He’s way better on the perimeter right now.”
Serving in a bench role only served to motivate Beverly, who has rounded out his game and figures to be a pivotal piece of the Grizzly Cubs’ quest for a repeat.
“It was frustrating, but it was good to see the team go further than what we would have,” said Beverly, who still finished the 2021-22 season averaging 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds. “It was good watching and learning from coach, from his perspective, to see how the game goes.
“It just made me want to get better and just grind as much as I can to be able to be the star and play sectionals, regionals, all that. Semistate, whatever we get to. Play as much as I can.”
Franklin stumbled through much of the regular season during Moss’ first year on the bench, getting out to a 6-14 start. There were moments of brilliance along the way, but the team was wildly inconsistent before catching fire down the stretch with six consecutive victories.
Moss is hoping that his team can make like the Boston Celtics — another team that struggled early and closed strong a year ago — and get things figured out a little bit earlier this time around.
“I really went back to the beginning and said, ‘How did we get in this position?’” he said. “I think some of it was coaching. Some of it was a new group of players that had never played together. I think some of it was, we were a little bit undisciplined and we thought we were a little bit better than we were. … We made some proper adjustments, and now we’re coming in with those adjustments instead of having to make them.”
All-County junior Micah Davis, who’s been drawing the interest of several Division I colleges, and dynamic point guard Wyatt Nickleson will be big pieces of the puzzle — but so will Beverly, who Moss expects big things from starting with next Tuesday’s season opener against Indian Creek.
“Dylan’s the type of kid, when you look up and he’s 25 years old, he’s going to be playing pro basketball somewhere, because he has a crazy body,” Moss said. “He doesn’t get tired, he doesn’t get sore. He was behind, and now he’s starting to catch up. So I think the sky’s the limit for him. He’s definitely going to play college basketball and probably play pro one day.”
Beverly has certainly spent the offseason preparing as if that’s a path he sees for himself, saying that he’s “got to be able to do it all” in order to play at the next level.
But first and foremost is closing out his high school career with a winning season.
“As a team, we’re all trying to get better as much as we can,” Beverly said. “All getting our chemistry better, working together, and by the time midseason comes, we’ll be a really solid team.”
Expect Beverly to be right in the middle of it all this time instead of watching from courtside.
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLY CUBS
Coach: Adrian Moss
Last season: 12-15, won sectional championship; lost to Bloomington North in Class 4A regional final
Key returnees: Dylan Beverly and John Shepard, seniors; Micah Davis, Wyatt Nickleson and Ryder Street, juniors
Top newcomers: Nate Corley, Grant Hunter and Jayden Razor, juniors; Kolt Nelson and Jayce Nielsen, sophomores
Outlook: After stumbling to a 6-14 start in Moss’ first season at the helm, the Grizzly Cubs caught fire at the right time, riding a three-week heater from Davis to a sectional championship. The team hopes to ride that wave to greater — and earlier — success this time around. Nickleson and Beverly both played big minutes last year but should have even larger roles, and Shepard is expected to provide some much-needed strength and physicality inside for a group that will be at a size disadvantage against many opponents. Moss expects fewer stumbles out of the gate this time now that his system is a bit more established, but he’ll still need some of the young players, many of whom were part of a 19-2 JV team, to step up and contribute. How far Franklin can go, though, will depend largely on Davis. He’ll be the most talented player on the court more often than not; if he’s dialed in more consistently than he was as a sophomore, this could be a pretty exciting season.
