It was quite an exciting finish to a successful campaign last winter for the Franklin Tech boys basketball team.
After putting together a 10-10 record in the regular season to narrowly get into the WMass Division 4 field, the Eagles earned the 11th seed and a trip to Baystate Academy in Springfield to face the sixth-seeded side in the first round of the tournament. Led by an 18-point effort from Jared Bergmann, Franklin Tech picked up a rare tournament victory with a 56-54 upset.
That led the Eagles to the quarterfinals to face third-seeded Pioneer, which eventually went on to win the WMass tournament. The Eagles jumped all over the Panthers out of the gate, building a double-digit lead in the first quarter and holding a lead throughout much of the second quarter before Pioneer went on a late run to take the lead before halftime. Franklin Tech ran out of steam after halftime, as Pioneer used a 13-0 run to take control of the game and went on to defeat Franklin Tech, but the message was clear: Don’t sleep on Franklin Tech.
The Eagles return many of the players from last year’s squad this winter, as they are set to tip off their 2018-19 campaign tonight at 8 p.m. against Mohawk in the Eagles Holiday Classic.
One change comes at the top, where Tim Artus takes over for Matt Llewelyn. Artus is coaching his first varsity team, but has 15 years experience coaching at the AAU level for programs such as The EDGE. He said that having so many players back has been helpful for him to acclimate himself with the new squad.
“I think it’s a huge help having so many players returning,” he explained. “I have a very experienced team with a lot of leadership. The kids are really buying in and trying hard, and for a first year coach, I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Artus said that after the success of a season ago, there is a buzz surrounding the team this winter.
“I think they are all looking forward to seeing what they can accomplish,” he began. “They had a taste of tournament last year. We are a deep team, with a high basketball IQ up and down the roster. They understand the work required to put in, and they understand that whatever they did last year isn’t going to help them win any games this year.”
The biggest hole the Eagles will have to fill is not an easy one as point guard Joel Farrick was not only an adept ballhandler, but he also contributed 8.4 points per game, which tied him for third on the team. The squad also lost forward Seth Aldrich, who averaged 6.7 ppg.
Leading scorer Bergmann returns for his senior season after averaging 13.2 ppg. The shooting guard is one of six seniors on the team, and is one of a handful of 6-foot or taller players in what should be a tall lineup.
“We are pretty tall across the board,” Artus said.
Senior forward Max Charest also returns this winter after averaging 8.4 ppg, and junior center Garret Cole returns after being a nice scoring surprise last year as a sophomore with 8.5 ppg. Senior Tyler Hastings will take over at the point, and senior Sim Maniatty is back at power forward, as both players averaged around 4 points per game a year ago.
Senior Cole Littlewood will join juniors Hunter Wozniak and newcomer Cole LaClaire as reserve shooting guards, and newcomer Deandre Brown is a senior who will back up Hastings at the point and can also play forward. Junior Jared Vielmetti-Perusse returns and will play forward this season.
“They are a talented group,” Artus concluded. “They’ve been in the tournament and won a game last year. They had very good coaching from coach Llewelyn the past few years, and this year is an opportunity for them to continue to grow.”