11th Region Preview: Franklin County Outlook

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Flipping the calendar to October means the high school basketball season is rapidly approaching.  After an unprecedented start to the 2020-2021 season, programs look to get back into their routine for the launch of the 2021-2022 campaign. Prep Hoops will be following along with the 11</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and 12</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Region top 4 finalists from last season.</span></p> <p><em><strong>Franklin County Flyers</strong></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">2020-2021 Record</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">11-9 Regular Season</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">4-1 Postseason (Loss to Madison Central in 11</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">th</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Region Semi-Final)</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Prep Hoops spoke with Coach Moore about his team. Coach Moore takes over his alma mater after Coach Wise transitioned in August. Moore is a 2002 graduate from Franklin County and served as an assistant with Coach Wise in previous years. He comes over from coaching at Carroll County but has maintained good knowledge of the program. Like many teams, the Flyers endured a challenging 2020-2021 season with cancellations and quarantines due to Covid protocols. Including only a handful of practices in the last month of the season.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Although the Flyers have several rotation players participating in other fall sports, there are three returning players that have expectations to return back to the 11th Region tournament.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Top Scorer: Zac Cox is the returning top scorer that averaged 14.4ppg. Cox is an athletic, combo guard that ended last season as one of the best players in the region. Cox turned down opportunities to join travel teams in the spring so he could focus on improving his game and strength. Two key areas of improvement that PH staff will be watching closely will be his consistency behind the arc and playmaking abilities. There is no denying Cox’s athletic frame creates separation from the defenders. The next step for Cox will be to be a knockdown shooter and set his teammates up for open looks and mismatches.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Top Defender: </span><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1300365" first="Max" last="Mulder"]</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is the top rebounder and shot-blocker for the Flyers. The rising senior played with </span><b>Cave Gym Elite</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> over the spring and summer. Mulder will be expected to expand his offensive skills and become more than the “clean-up” guy. Coach Moore is expecting a jump from Mulder so he can be on the floor 26+ minutes a game. Mulder recently picked up an offer from Campbellsville-Harrodsburg. Mulder is the type of player that can use his length and basketball IQ to alter shots, rip away rebounds, and give his team a weapon that infuriates opposing players. We expect Mulder to continue to receive college interest as the season gets underway. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Underrated Player: Dominick Taylor will have his opportunity after sitting behind Fred Farrier for much of the past couple of seasons. Farrier was a dynamic two-sport athlete that is a freshman wide receiver at UAB. Despite limited minutes, Taylor was second on the team in 3point makes and has already become a lethal shooter during fall workouts. Taylor will need to improve his decision-making with the ball in his hands if he wants to expand his game. Look for Taylor to have more opportunities to thrive on offense with Mulder occupying the middle and Cox breaking down the perimeter. </span></p>