For the Franklin High School Boys Basketball Team, Quaker State isn't just another name for a brand of motor oil. For the team, Quaker fans chanted the catch phrase as they defeated Central Valley of Spokane last spring for the KingCo 4A Conference State Championship. They completed the 2005 - 2006 season with a 23-5 record. This was the fifth state championship in Franklin's school history. They also won the state title in 1954, 1994, 1995 and 2003.
With the start of the Quakers season on Dec. 5, the team defeated their well-known rivals, Garfield High School, in a 95 -74 victory at Lincoln High School. The Quakers start the 2006 - 2007 season at a record of 1-0 and met the nationally ranked Oregon state champions of Lake Oswego High School on Dec. 8 in the Les Schwab Hoop Challenge at Bellevue Community College. This was non-league game.
The Quakers toughest challenge against Lake Oswego was defending the inside game of big man Kevin Love. Standing at 6-foot-10 and weighing in at 255 pounds, Love is a two-time Oregon player of the year and an All-American who will be playing for the UCLA Bruins next year.
"Kevin Love is a tremendous player and one of the best in the country. I don't think you can shut down a player of his caliber," said Jason Kerr, Franklin's Varsity Head Coach, in an e-mail. "What we will try to do is limit his touches but pressuring their guards while trying to keep the tempo at our preferred rate and try to tire them out by the end of the game," said Kerr.
However, Lake Oswego had to answer to Venoy Overton's, Franklin senior guard and team captain, quickness in driving left-handed to the hoop, and clear vision of the floor while spotting his teammates up for the right shot. During Overton's junior year, he averaged 17.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.6 steals according to The Seattle Times. In addition, he was selected to the All-KingCo Conference and named to the all-state tournament first team.
"Venoy had done a tremendous job in his four years at Franklin developing his game. Offensively, Venoy can shoot the three, penetrate to the hole, hit the pull-up jumper, see the open teammate and to run his team. Defensively, Venoy is our best defender and will often get the toughest match-up in a game," said Kerr. The greatest growth that Coach Kerr has seen in Venoy in the past four years is his leadership abilities. "He sets the example every day in practice for his teammates and understands the need to work extremely hard in practice in order to get ready for a game," said Kerr.
As one of the team captains, Overton acknowledges that he has to be vocal and to support his team to the best of his ability.
"I have to work on my game to be good," said Overton.
Although Overton would love the opportunity to defend the state championship this season, his focus is winning one game at a time with the team.
"It was good to get the win against Garfield, and get that first game of the season out of the way," said Overton.
A stellar program
After considering possible college opportunities such as attending Pepperdine, University of Washington, Washington State, and Wake Forest, Overton has committed to University of Southern California (USC) at the beginning of the school year.
"The school and the environment just felt like a good fit for me. I really liked being down there," said Overton.
Overton is not the first player from Franklin to continue his basketball career at the college level. Former graduates who have played or are currently playing in college include Aaron Brooks, guard at Oregon University, Lyndale Burleson and Richie Phillips at University of Nevada, and Alvin Snow and Kellen Williams at Eastern Washington University. In addition, Jason Terry, current guard for the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, is a Franklin alumni.
Much of the success of the boys basketball program at Franklin can be attributed to Coach Jason Kerr. Kerr began coaching at Franklin in 1999 and was an assistant coach at O'Dea High School for four years. A Seattleite, Kerr played basketball in high school, but once realizing that his opportunities to play in college would be limited, he transitioned his love of the game to coaching.
"At the age of 18, I went out and started coaching my first eighth grade select team," said Kerr.
Kerr stresses the importance of hard work and self-discipline to his players. He believes that, with a strong work ethic, players are able to grow and maximize to their greatest potential not only in basketball but in their personal lives as well. With self-discipline, Kerr believes that players are able to take this concept and prioritize their lives academically and socially.
"Since basketball is something they love doing, it's not a struggle for them. The struggle for them is taking the things they learn in the gym and applying it to other areas in their lives," said Kerr. "It's not just about winning a game, there are other aspects in their lives that are just as important as well."
With assistant varsity coaches Ryland Brown, Cliff Brown, and Craig Jackson, Kerr conducts practice six times a week with one or two games per week.
"Our first goal is not to win a state championship. Our focus is getting the players mentally and physically ready. We expect maximum effort from the players and their willingness to work hard. By doing this, we can limit all other distractions that may be around," said Kerr.
As a husband, a father with a 13-month old girl, a security specialist during the day at Franklin, and attending practices and games in the evenings and weekends, Kerr has a very demanding schedule.
However, the greatest reward for him is working with young people and developing relationships with them. On many occasions, Kerr will have former players who return to Seattle and drop by the gym to visit.
"It's great to see players that I have coached take what little time they may have during the break to stop by the gym to visit. It shows that we've made a lasting impact on them. It's an extended family," said Kerr.
Beacon Hill writer Alice Liang may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com. team[[In-content Ad]]
