Former Franklin standout Dylan Beverly, right, looks to play a significant role for Franklin College as a freshman.
Submitted photo | Chad Williams
There are far worse places to make your college basketball debut than between the almost century-old walls of Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Franklin College freshman Dylan Beverly will always have memories of an exhibition loss at Butler on Nov. 1 regardless of how many times the 6-foot-6 forward takes the court for the Grizzlies this season and beyond.
“It was unreal, honestly,” said Beverly, who averaged 10.1 points and five rebounds in his last high school season at Franklin. “I just liked the atmosphere. Getting to know how it feels to play in a real college game.
“I’m pretty confident because I know I can do a lot of things to help this team. The coaches have a lot of belief in me, and it makes me want to strive to be the best every day. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to get on the court.”
The Grizzlies, who finished with a 13-13 record in coach Chris Hamilton’s inaugural season, open the season Friday night at home against Berea.
Franklin College was recently projected as a sixth-place finisher in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, though Hamilton is confident his squad’s ceiling is much higher.
“At the end of the day, it’s one of the best parts of our league, how deep it is,” Hamilton said. “Projections aren’t always right. We’re confident in our ability, but you’re going to have to prove it on the floor.”
Lynn King, a 6-4 junior guard/forward, is FC’s top returning scorer at 10.8 points a game, and his 8.2 rebounding norm was best on the team. Meanwhile, 6-foot junior guard Ryan Bostic, who mainly served as the sixth man last season, will start after averaging 10.4 points.
Both King and Bostic were honorable mention All-HCAC selections as sophomores.
“They just keep improving,” Hamilton said. “They love the game, and their teammates see that work ethic.”
Beverly, too, seems poised for major minutes. He started in the exhibition contest against the Bulldogs, his final stat line reading four points, four rebounds, one blocked shot and a steal in a 91-54 loss.
“Dylan started for us in the Butler game, so he has an opportunity to make an impact right away,” Hamilton said. “He’s not just a great player, but is always a smiling face.”
SCOUTING THE GRIZZLIES
Coach: Chris Hamilton
Last season: 13-13, lost to Hanover in HCAC tournament quarterfinal
Key returnees: Jack Hendricks, senior; Ryan Bostic, Jacob Deere, Lynn King and Cody Samples, juniors; Nathaniel Hoffman and Zach Woodson, sophomores
Top newcomers: Jaume Arnal-Diaz, junior; Jessie Morgan, sophomore; Dylan Beverly and Ki Lane Dyer, freshmen
Outlook: The nucleus of Hendricks, King, Bostic and Samples was to also include senior Logan Hudgins, but he sustained a season-ending knee injury not even five minutes into the first half of the Grizzlies’ exhibition game at Butler on Nov. 1. King averaged 10.8 points last season, followed by Bostic’s 10.4. Samples (7.7 ppg) and Hoffman (5.1) also logged valuable court time that should benefit them this season.
The Grizzlies shot only 43% from the floor last season, 33% on 3-point attempts and 67% from the free throw line. Those are areas that will need to improve if the team is going to contend for a winning record and upper-tier status in the HCAC standings.
Former Franklin standout Beverly started for the Grizzlies in their exhibition loss at Butler and is projected to immediately impact the team.
