The early returns have been good for Panther men’s hoops.
After months of offseason work, on the first week of December Franklin tipped off their first official games, hosting North Buncombe and Cherokee on Tom Raby Court. With 30-plus-point wins in each, they started their regular season 2-0.
On Tuesday, Dec. 2, they welcomed North Buncombe for their season opener, the first of two nonconference games with the Black Hawks scheduled this month. Franklin fell on North Buncombe to start the game, getting seven points and a block from junior Lance Parker in the first six minutes. Peyton Hervey added two steals and four points to end the first quarter up 21-3.
Junior Will Rauers was a Swiss army knife in the second, posting five points, three assists and a steal. Jack Teesateskie added nine points and drew an offensive foul to end the half with a 50-21 lead.
Teesateskie stayed hot after the break, recording nine more points and a steal in the third. Jackson Wilson added back-to-back 3-pointers to end the quarter up 71-42.
Teesateskie capped a stellar game in the fourth, posting a steal and the last eight of his 32 points. Franklin’s second unit then took the court to close out an 83-44 rout.
Two nights later they hosted Cherokee for another nonconference game. Rauers came out firing for the Panthers, racking up six points and a steal in the first three minutes. Teesateskie added eight points and two assists to end the first with a 25-13 lead. Rauers stayed red-hot throughout the second, posting eight more points and a steal to end the half up 42-25.
Teesateskie harassed the Braves in the third, racking up seven points, an assist and two of Franklin’s four steals in the quarter. Jackson Wilson and Gunner McConnell added six points apiece down the stretch en route to a 73-41 win.
“It’s a happy feeling, but they’re all still family over there,” said Teesateskie after the game of beating his former team. After transferring from Cherokee to Franklin, he turned in a stellar junior season last winter, averaging more than 15 points per game for a deadly offense. Now entering his senior year, he believes the Panthers have plenty of talent once again.
“Not really, because we’ve got an all-around team – everybody can shoot,” he said on whether he’s had to shoulder a greater offensive load this year. “Will’s a knockdown shooter, Gunner loves his midrange – he can get to his spot. Lance and Herv [Peyton Hervey], I mean, you see it – they bully, they dominate in the paint. And then we’ve got Jackson coming off the bench; he’s going to knock down a couple of threes. Then whenever Nolan [Collins] gets healthy, he’s going to come in and light it up … and then we’ve got Addix [Sutton] – whenever he comes in, he’s controlling the game.”
While Teesateskie has always had a readymade physical skill set, those close to the senior say he’s matured mentally this offseason, looking equally at home scoring and getting teammates involved. Versus Cherokee, he showed a high-level understanding of the game.
“The high ball screen was working tonight and [we had] Lance and Herv in the dunker’s spot, and I just grabbed the clipboard and I drew it up,” he said. “I was like, ‘The high ball screen is working here,’ and we scored on it like three or four times. ... We’ve moved the ball a lot better this year and gotten up the court. Cherokee loves to play with pace, but I feel like we outplayed them in pace tonight.”
With two blowout wins in hand Franklin then prepared for a long road trip, including four away games from Dec. 8-15. They’ll tip off their Mountain Eight Conference schedule at East Henderson Dec. 12 before returning home to host Brevard Dec. 16.