Exclusive Interview with Deandre Ayton's Cal Supreme Coach Gary Franklin Sr.
The big news hit Wednesday: The No. 1 recruit in the country, Deandre Ayton announced on ESPN SportsCenter that he chose Arizona over Kansas and Kentucky, his top three schools.
The five-star big man, Deandre Ayton, moved from the Bahama’s to the mainland, specifically San Diego. He then bounced around and ended up going to Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix, AZ.
Ayton played this summer for California Supreme, an AAU team out of Southern California that was founded by Head Coach Gary Franklin Sr. twelve years ago. Cal Supreme may sound familiar to Wildcats fans. That’s because Arizona PG Parker Jackson-Cartwright also played for Franklin and his Cal Supreme team. Coach Franklin calls PJC his “Might Mouse.”
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We would be remiss not to mention that former Arizona Wildcat and current New Orleans Pelican Solomon Hill also grew out of this stable and successful program.
California Supreme has helped over 100 athletes earn scholarships, and that’s probably because of their coaching staff. All of Franklin’s coaches have played successfully in college, professionally and on the international stage.
According to their website, the program’s goal as an Elite program is to “Use the game of basketball to develop young men both on and off the court, and ultimately help aid these young men towards receiving a free College education.”
What’s more important, the team doesn’t select players to take part in their program solely on their talent on the court. They also factor in, “Their individual academic standards, their participation in community service, and their common goals of achieving a free education earning an athletic scholarship.”
The Interview
ZonaZealots reached out to this successful coach to get some insight on his No. 1 player who he coached just recently in the 2016 Nike Nationals Peach Jam Tournament. Ayton plays on the Elite 17U EYBL team that finished in the final four, which is good for the third best Nike program in the country.
Nov 22, 2015; Tucson, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Sean Miller watches from the sideline during the second half against the Northwestern State Demons at McKale Center. Arizona won 61-42. Mandatory Credit: Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports Happy about Deandre Ayton’s commitment
Franklin tells us that Ayton usually plays alongside Brandon McCoy, but McCoy was sidelined by an injury, so Ayton was on his own as the team’s only big, and he rose to the occasion. “He filled up the middle completely, he was careful not to get in foul trouble since he knew it would be critical for him not being able to play aggressively or even to play in the game due to foul trouble,” said Franklin. Ayton’s coach continued, “Deandre is very knowledgeable of the game of basketball and is a very intelligent basketball player. He is vocal in huddles and on the court.”
We wanted to know more about what position he thought Deandre would play at Arizona, so we asked his coach. “I don’t know, he is such a versatile player,” said Franklin, “And the game of basketball is changing all the time. He can play three different positions even though he’s 7-feet tall because he understands the game.”
Maybe he’s bored because he is so much better than everyone else? Just a thought.
It was evident that Coach Franklin is beaming with pride as we speak, he thinks Deandre is the absolute best player in the nation, “I know, and have heard some critics talk about his motor and that he looks bored at times, but he is the best player and prospect in the class and has unbelievable ability to elevate his teammates and team.”
Arizona has a lot to look forward too in Deandre. Coach Franklin confirmed what Sean Miller and staff have come to learn, “Deandre is an unbelievable talent, but even more, he’s a great kid,” he said, “He’s funny and is also very wise past his years.” His coach is looking forward to watching Deandre play in college, to elevate his game with “Coach Sean” at the helm, “I can’t wait to see how dominant he is and the impact he will make in college basketball.”
Wildcats fans everywhere cannot wait to see that either, Coach!
Catch the action from this California Supreme Deandre Ayton Mix Tape, pay attention to how many times this 7-foot big man is the first player down the court (say what?):
Brad Allis. 247Sports, said in his podcast since Deandre is an international player, thus he has more opportunities, any international team could sign him. Allis says his mom wants him to go to school.
Don’t know about you, but all of us at ZonaZealots are really excited about the next two years and cheering on A Players Program. And, like a bachelorette in paradise, we are nervous that another team, this time international, will woo away our five-star commit. But that’s a possibility with any player until they sign the papers, like in the case of T.J. Leaf for example.
Sports Illustrated’s Chris Johnson and Jeremy Woo discuss the top prospects from the Elite Youth Basketball League including Deandre:
We have heard that there is enough time to rectify any grade/curriculum issues that might exist from Allis. So while the rest of the world eats their sour grapes, we will enjoy our juicy peach. Until then, we will just join Coach Franklin and Coach Miller and his staff and beam with happiness. BearDown Coach! Thanks for your time!
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