Search FOR Tomorrow : Never One to Quit, Carl Franklin Says Morningside Can Still Turn Around Its Season

If Carl Franklin were to ever question his sanity, this would be the year.

Despite having 12 players graduate, including the starting lineup, from last season’s Southern Section State Division III finalist team, Franklin has returned for his 18th season as the Morningside High boys’ basketball coach.

“I’m a physical education instructor,” Franklin said. “It doesn’t make much sense for me to come in and work all day, and then not do the thing I enjoy most.”

What Franklin enjoys is coaching basketball, regardless if his team is contending for a state title or struggling to learn the playbook. He has experienced more good times than bad at Morningside, but the prospect of having a down year didn’t discourage him from coming back.

“When I do get tired of coaching, I’ll feel fine with stepping down,” Franklin said. “I’d like to have the program on good footing when I do decide to stop coaching.”

That comment might strike some as being odd, considering that Morningside has reached the Southern Section finals for three consecutive seasons.

The Monarchs, who will play Los Angeles High in the first round of the Artesia Holiday Classic on Monday at Artesia High, have a rich basketball tradition.

In addition to winning five Southern Section titles, three under Franklin, Morningside has produced several professional players, including Laker forward Elden Campbell and former Laker guard and current Indiana Pacer Byron Scott.

After the Monarchs’ 3-6 start this season, some coaches and players are worried they won’t be able to live up to that tradition.

“Right now we are going through a trying season in the aftermath of losing all those players,” Franklin said.

This time last season, Morningside was one of most feared teams in the state, coming off a State Division III championship.

But with the graduation of its starting lineup of Stais Boseman (now at USC), Dwight Curry (El Camino College), Donminic Ellison (Washington State), Sean Harris (San Diego State) and Corey Saffold (Oklahoma), Morningside entered the 1993-94 season an unproven commodity.

“I think we can be good, because we have a good program that has won at every level,” Franklin said. “I thought we got off to a great start. But when you win, you feel you can handle and rise above your problems. When you lose, all the problems just kind of snowball.” The Monarchs surprised some people when they beat Serra, 65-63, in the quarterfinals of the season-opening Pacific Shores tournament. But in the semifinals, Redondo handily beat Morningside, 70-51.

“That tournament was a real good experience for us,” Franklin said. “We did get blown out by Redondo, but I think at that point we were just looking ahead to Inglewood, a big cross-town rival of ours.”

Experience appears to be what the Monarchs are lacking. Only seniors Undra McKenzie and Davion Carter were full-time varsity players last season. Junior forward Anthony McNeir joined the team during the playoffs.

“This is really hard for me,” said McKenzie, a 6-foot-3 forward. “People expect us to really step up this year, whereas last year we only had two juniors on the team and everybody else had a lot of experience.”

A knee injury to senior point guard Travone Meeks set back the Monarchs’ progress. After playing in the first two games, Meeks was sidelined, forcing several players to play out of position. Franklin said Meeks is expected back within the next two weeks.

But a lack of commitment can be a lingering problem for a team, and coaches and players said they are disturbed by the half-hearted effort some players have shown.

“It’s really a problem,” said 6-1 junior guard Sean Williams. “Some people practice real hard, but when they get in the game they change. Sometimes we’ll have people who hustle on offense and defense, and then we’ll have guys who only hustle on offense.

“We’ve had a team meeting, with just players, and we talked a lot about giving it your all.”

In addition to a lack of hustle, Franklin has noticed a lack of attendance at practices and games.

“It’s more a sign of the times,” Franklin said. “People just don’t make the lasting commitment. They make it partially. It’s like, ‘We’re with you, but not the whole way.’ I’ve never had players not making practices and games like I’ve had this season. Usually (being part of the team is) meaningful enough that other things take a lesser priority.”

Franklin said last season was a good example of what a committed group of players can accomplish. He said that 11 of the 12 players who graduated are now attending college.

“No one ever comments about that fact, and to me that is what is important,” Franklin said. “I look at myself as an educator. I want the youngsters who come into contact with this program to realize that we want them to go on to higher education.”

With Morningside opening Ocean League play Jan. 7 against Culver City, Franklin is counting on his team to get educated quickly by learning how to play within his system and with each other.

“This is a test for us all,” Franklin said. “But it’ll be nice to look back when it’s all over and see how many kids have become established in the community, and that is where the satisfaction comes.

“As good as last year’s team was, it’s still too early to tell what kind of people those kids will become. That’s the real test. That’s when I really can enjoy coming home and turning on the tube and watching some player who I touched.”