 Ray Compton, the chief executive officer of Compton Strategies, introduces head coaches and others involved in presenting the second annual KeyBank Tipoff Classic scheduled for Wednesday, November 22, in Conseco Fieldhouse. Joining Compton are, from left, Franklin Central coach Mark James, Park Tudor coach Mike Hasch, Cathedral coach Scott Hicks, Brownsburg coach Joshua Kendrick, Martinsville coach Tim Wolf, Quinn Buckner of Pacer Sports & Entertainment, Scott Brown of title sponsor KeyBank, Carmel coach Mark Galloway and ESPN 950 radio personality Greg Rakestraw. FTONEWS.com photos. |
FC boys' & girls' hoops in limelight
|
Perhaps never before in the history of Franklin Central basketball has the spotlight been aimed so brightly on both its boys' and girls' hoops programs during the same school year as it will be during the upcoming 2006-07 campaign.
The Flashes are definitely in demand both the girls' contingent under the direction of Pam Taylor and the boys' squad under the guidance of Mark James. The two are veteran coaches who have logged more than 300 Indiana prep victories apiece. Consider the following marquee appearances scheduled for Franklin Central basketball teams during the next several months:
- Wednesday, November 22 Franklin Central boys' team in the KeyBank Tipoff Classic to be played at Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.
- Saturday, December 9 Franklin Central boys' team in the Circle City Classic Challenge of Champions High School Basketball Showcase to be played at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus in Indianapolis.
- Tuesday-Wednesday, December 26-27 Franklin Central boys' team in the WBY (Wisconsin Basketball Yearbook) Shootout to be played in the Al McGuire Center on the Marquette University campus in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
- Thursday, December 28 Franklin Central girls' team in the City Securities Hall of Fame Classic to be played at New Castle Fieldhouse in New Castle, Indiana.
Franklin Central's participation in the second annual KeyBank Tipoff Classic was announced on Thursday morning, October 5, during a festive press conference at Conseco Fieldhouse that was orchestrated by Ray Compton of Compton Strategies. The event's founder, Compton is long known as a promotional maverick when it comes to hyping Indianapolis sporting endeavors.
We're thrilled with this year's field, Compton said in announcing the six teams and pairings for the KeyBank Tipoff Classic. This is a great representation of Indiana high school basketball. We have great schools, great teams and talented players.
The three-game KeyBank Tipoff Classic schedule is as follows:
- Game One Cathedral vs. Park Tudor, 5:30 p.m.
- Game Two Carmel vs. Brownsburg, 7 p.m.
- Game Three Franklin Central vs. Martinsville, 8:30 p.m.
A media release on the event pointed out there will be more than just Central Indiana high school basketball fans watching when the KeyBank Tipoff Classic helps open the 2006-07 season.
There will also be interest in West Lafayette and Terre Haute in Indiana Dayton in Ohio, and Iowa City in Iowa. Why? Because some of Indiana 's premier high school basketball players for the upcoming season will be part of this year's KeyBank Tipoff Classic.
Four players, including a pair from Franklin Central, already have made verbal commitments to attend NCAA Division I schools. JaJuan Johnson, the Flashes' 6-10 center, is headed for Purdue University. And 6-3 FC guard John Ashworth will take his skills to Indiana State. Cathedral's 6-foot playmaker Stephen Thomas will play at Dayton. Jake Kelly, a versatile 6-6 guard who transferred to Carmel from a small town in Illinois, has announced he will attend Iowa.
Also introduced during the press conference were Scott Brown, president of KeyBank in Indiana; Quinn Buckner, a representative of Pacer Sports & Entertainment; and Greg Rakestraw, a radio sports personality with ESPN 950. The station will be broadcasting all three games.
In addition to title sponsor KeyBank, others instrumental in presenting the event include Burd Ford and Burd Auto Mall, Community Health Network, the NCAA Hall of Champions, and Ivy Tech.
Compton said tickets are available now priced at $10 for the entire session. For additional information on the KeyBank Tipoff Classic, contact Compton Strategies at (317) 826-1175.
|
FC girls' coach Pam Taylor, during 19 years of coaching Indiana high school basketball, is accustomed to joining her players in cutting down nets following tournament successes. FTONEWS.com file photo. Franklin Central's first-ever participation in the Hall of Fame girls' tournament at New Castle was announced in September at a gathering of Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame supporters at the Indianapolis Yacht Club. The Hall of Fame is located in New Castle adjacent to the legendary 9,325-seat New Castle Fieldhouse, the largest high school basketball gym in the United States.
The Flashes will open the four-team affair by taking on the host school New Castle in a 10 a.m. match-up on Thursday, December 28. South Bend Washington and Heritage Christian are paired in the second game at 11:50 . The losers will play in the consolation game later in the day at 6 o'clock , with the winners meeting for the Hall of Fame Classic title at 7:55 p.m.
Franklin Central will return three starters point guard Nicole James, forward Katie Hacker and frontliner Jill Taylor from last season's 18-8 sectional championship team. Coach Taylor told the Yacht Club crowd that all three returning seniors have one thing in common.
All three of these players are daughters of coaches, Taylor said. They all know what they are doing out on the floor; they know the game of basketball.
Nicole James, a member of the Indiana Junior All-Star program this past summer, is the daughter of FC boys' coach Mark James. Katie Hacker's dad, Brian Hacker, coaches boys' basketball in the Franklin Township Middle School program and is the FC girls' track & field coach. Jill Taylor is the daughter of Flashes' hoops coach, Pam Taylor.
The day before the Franklin Central girls' team plays at New Castle, the FC boys' team will be completing a two-game appearance (December 26-27) in Milwaukee, where a total of 20 schools will take part in the second annual WBY Shootout. The Flashes will join Romulus High School of Detroit, Michigan, as the only two out-of-state participants.
On the first day, Franklin Central will play Milwaukee Wisconsin Lutheran at 1:30 p.m. (Wisconsin time). On the second day, FC depending upon how its fares against Milwaukee Lutheran will play either Waukesha Catholic Memorial or Brookfield Central at either noon or 1:30 p.m.
The Lutheran outfit won the Wisconsin Little Ten Conference title last year while posting a 17-4 overall mark. The Vikings feature one of the state's most athletic wing players in 6-foot junior Brandon Whiteside. In addition, 6-5 freshman Flavian Davis is considered one of Wisconsin 's top Class of 2010 prospects.
Waukesha Catholic Memorial is led by one of the state's premier seniors in 6-8 Conor Smith. Brookfield Central has qualified for the Wisconsin Division 1 State Tournament five times in the past seven years and returns one of the top players from the Greater Metro Conference in 6-5 senior Rob Korslin.
No matter which school Franklin Central plays on the second day, it is a safe bet that the Flashes' bus will be headed back to Indiana very soon after the game. Coach James has a date to watch his daughter, Nicole, at 10 o'clock the following morning in New Castle .
Details of participation by the Franklin Central boys' team in the Circle City Classic Challenge of Champions headliner at Hinkle Fieldhouse have not been announced. So far, FC and East Chicago Central among Indiana schools show the Circle City Classic on their 2006-07 schedules. A year ago, the event was staged in the cavernous Southport High School gym, with six games featuring teams from Illiniois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana.
For Franklin Central boys' and girls' basketball teams, the bright lights lie ahead. Coaches and players alike obviously are looking forward to the special appearances. Practice for Indiana high school girls begins on Monday, October 23, and for the boys on Monday, November 6.
|
- FTONEWS.com -