Last season while junior guard Rob Phinisee was injured to open the season, sophomore guard Armaan Franklin was forced to be more of a primary ball-handler than both he and IU head coach Archie Miller expected.
A year later, that extended role as a freshman has benefited the Hoosiers greatly as Franklin has become a steadying force in the backcourt.
Franklin showcased his potential as a two-way guard in IU’s 87-52 win over the University of North Alabama, being a dominant force on both offesne and defense . The sophomore guard recorded two career-highs, with 19 points and five made 3-pointers, while also dishing out a team-high five assists.
“I give Armaan a lot of credit. He continues to evolve as a player for us,” Millers said. “I was really happy for him to see the ball go through the net, and I think that’s the Armaan we'll get used to seeing.”
In the first half, Franklin’s stats weren’t particularly impressive, scoring just five points and recording two assists, but he let his presence be known. Franklin served as one of IU’s primary ballhandlers alongside Phinisee for much of the half and took control of the offense while Phinisee was on the bench.
On defense, Franklin continued his impressive run, proving to be one of the best on-ball defenders in the Big Ten. The second year guard swiped three steals and swatted away one shot in the game. On multiple occasions in the first half, Franklin was also able to keep North Alabama guards from turning the corner and gaining a step on their drives, forcing off-balance fadeaways that clanked off the rim as the shot clock expired.
Franklin also crashed the boards for IU, grabbing four rebounds in a game that saw the team’s guards pull in 20 rebounds, an area Miller has focused on early in the season.
“I’m just playing both ends of the floor,” Franklin said. “Trying to be a complete two-way player, that is what I strive to be. I am working towards that every day. Things I could still improve on defensively and offensively, so it is just about working on those things and just trying to be a complete player."
In the second half Franklin’s offensive production caught up to the rest of his game, scoring 14 points on a perfect five-of-five shooting, including four made 3-pointers.
With just under 13 minutes remaining, senior Al Durham whipped a skip pass to Franklin near the left corner. In one fluid motion, Franklin received the pass in rhythm and confidently drained the three. On the ensuing defensive possession, he fought through a ball-screen recovering to his man just in time to force the pass to sail out of bounds.
Franklin wasn’t done.
As Durham sprinted up court trying to catch the Lions’ defense off guard, he spotted Franklin curling up from the right corner, once again connected from beyond the arc.
“I think it was just open looks, getting the rhythm, stepping into it with confidence,” Franklin said. “I think if you ask a basketball player, when you see one go in, it gets you going for the next one and the next one. So, really just stepping in and getting a rhythm you know. Following through and knocking it down.”
While much of the focus has landed on the Hoosiers’ frontcourt and the star power of sophomore Trayce Jackson-Davis, Franklin has quietly become one of the most important pieces contributing to the team’s success.
"With the way he is defending and the way he is creating, he is turning into a terrific player early in the year for us," Miller said.
