The New Franklin boys basketball team returns to the court this year with a familiar face at the helm. Head coach Jim Schlotzhauer returns to the Bulldogs’ sideline after four years away from the high school program. He replaces Ross Dobson who became the high school principal at Fayette this year.

While Schlotzhauer has not coach the high school team for the last four years, he did coach all of his players through junior high and knows them well. “They are a talented group of very instinctive players,” he said.

New Franklin finished 16-10 overall a year ago with a second-place finish in its own tournament, and a third-place trophy in the Glasgow Tournament. This year’s team will be without All-Conference forward Tre Cowans, who led a group of three seniors last season.

The Bulldogs return two double-digit scorers from a year ago. Clayton Wilmsmeyer averaged 12.3 points and 6.9 rebounds a game last year, shooting 54% from inside the arc. As one of the team’s two seniors this year, the 6’3 All-Conference and All-District guard will make for a tough matchup for opponents this season. 

“Clayton is a big guard who can handle it and finish from all three levels,”  Schlotzhauer said. “Clayton is liked by all his teammates and will lead us on the floor this year.”

Another big scorer returning from last year’s team is Tanner Bishop. Now a junior, he scored 10.5 points a game last year while knocking down 37% of his shots from 3-point territory.

Schlotzhauer called Bishop a high-IQ player. “He is a great shooter and decision maker for us. Tanner is a great teammate and plays well with whoever is on the floor with him.”

Also returning this year is Drake Clark, who as a sophomore last year, averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds a game, with 49% shooting inside the arc. “Drake is an outstanding defender and finisher around the rim,” Schlotzhauer said of his 6’2 senior center. “He will consistently guard the other team’s best player.  He will also be valuable as a rim runner in transition with his speed.”

Two more juniors will round out New Franklin’s starting five this year. Connor Wilmsmeyer, a 6’2 forward, made half of his shots last year from 2-point range with an average of 4.4 points a game, along with 3.2 rebounds.

“Connor is probably our most improved player since I’ve taken back over. I’m excited to see how good he can be this year,” said Schlotzhauer. “We are confident in his ability to defend, rebound, and score around the rim and behind the arc.”

Starting at point guard for the Bulldogs will be junior Owen Curry. Schlotzhauer called Curry’s ability to create opportunities for his teammates “second-to-none,” but wants him to be more of a scoring threat. “He has the skills to do that,” Schlotzhauer said. “His on-ball defense is also exceptional.”

Schlotzhauer also expects strong minutes from his bench. Senior guard Owen Armentrout returns after averaging 4.3 points a game last year. Juniors Jake Marshall, Sawyer Felten, and Drew Rhorer, along with sophomore Rylan Hundley, and freshman Caden Schlotzhauer are also expected to contribute as the team relies on depth to play an up-tempo game while scoring in transition.

“This year we will look to run on makes and misses in transition,” explained coach Schlotzhauer. “We have guards, but more importantly bigs, that can run well. We will look to use our speed to get up and down the floor to create easy baskets. In the half court, we will look to open up our offense and spread the floor with multiple shooters. In the past, we have been very conservative and we are looking to speed up our pace.”

Defensively, the Bulldogs will tap their depth to bring more pressure in the full court, along with their trademark man-to-man defense.

Schlotzhauer said the team will be working on a new style of play early in the season, but that won’t keep the Bulldogs from competing in big games early. New Franklin opened the season with a 79-22 road victory over La Plata on Saturday night, and were scheduled to open their home campaign against Salisbury on Tuesday night, after the Advertiser went to press.

Next week, New Franklin enters the always-excellent Glasgow Tournament as the fourth seed. The Bulldogs will take on host team Glasgow, seeded fifth, at 9 p.m. on Monday. “Our boys are motivated to compete in the Glasgow Tournament,” said Schlotzhauer. “We feel like we can play with all of the teams competing. Hopefully getting the four-seed will motivate us to prove that we should have been seeded higher.”