My Two Cents: Indiana's Armaan Franklin Puts On the Freshman 17

Freshman guard Armaan Franklin came home to Indianapolis Saturday and had his biggest game as a Hoosier, scoring 17 points, including the last-second game-winner over Notre Dame.

INDIANAPOLIS — It took all of about 12 minutes to know that Trayce Jackson-Davis wasn't your typical freshman. You could see right from the start that he has going to be a star, and he's delivered in a big way through his first month and change as Indiana's best player.

And then there's the other half of the Hoosiers' freshman class, Indiana's party of two. Guard Armaan Franklin, the kid from Cathedral High School in Indianapolis who has been the other guy in this class, has played like a freshman so far. There's been some nice moments, but there have been struggles too, and as is often the case with youngsters, one struggle often leads to others. 

But then on Saturday, 12 games into the season and not 12 minutes, Armaan Franklin showed us a trait we love in our basketball players — deadly assassin who knocks down game-winning shots.

It wasn't Keith Smart big, or even Rob Phinisee big, but it was pretty darn important. When the ball swung all the way around to Franklin in the left corner in the final seconds of Saturday's Crossroads Classic game with Notre Dame, there was no hesitation. Franklin rose up and delivered, knocking down his fourth 3-pointer of the day to give Indiana a dramatic 62-60 victory.

This from a kid who was 4-for-27 shooting from the 3-point line this season, a meager 14 percent. He had no hesitation to put up a game-winner, and Indiana coach Archie Miller had no hesitation to putting him on the floor in such a critical moment.

This is a freshman.

"Armaan was playing really well all game, and sometimes you go with the older guys and sometimes you go with a little bit more experienced (lineup),'' Miller said. "But Armaan had played really well up until that point. We were struggling offensively, and he was the one guy that had made a few plays for us. 

"We were able to throw him right back in there, and it's not easy to do what he did. But you know, to his credit, he's got a great attitude. You pull for guys like him.''

You do, even when they're down. Franklin's shooting woes had him down, and there's no magic elixir to change that. It's all about working hard, getting up shots, and feeling good about it once gametime rolls around.

Especially when, at the core, you ARE a good shooter. And Franklin is.

"He needed to stop walking around with his head down and acting like people didn't know who he was because he wasn't shooting the ball real well. He can shoot it,'' Miller said. "He's just gotten off to a tough start. Sometimes that happens for all players, but in particular for young players, that can really steamroll them.

"He hasn't let it impact his attitude, and he hasn't let it impact his coachability. I think when we finished the Nebraska game —(last Friday, where Franklin was 0-for-4 from 3s) — we talked at length about confidence, and he works at it every day, and when he shoots it, I think everybody on our team thinks he has a chance to make it. He's not the percentage that he is in terms of how he actually shoots the ball every day. But he stepped up with good confidence, and mindset was really good. ''

Franklin, who finished third to Jackson-Davis in the Mr. Basketball race last year, does indeed know how to score. Miller knows that, and so do Franklin's teammates. They've seen glimpes, and Saturday they got the whole show. He was their leading scorer with 17 points, the first time he'd done that this year.

"Even though I was in a slump, everybody was telling me to keep shooting,'' Franklin said. "Putting in extra work after practice, and before we practice really helps a lot, and we saw it helped a lot today.''

Miller certainly knows that Franklin was capable of having a big day like this.

"He's a smooth offensive player. He knows how to play. He makes good decisions, and for him to be able to stick some shots for us finally was a big deal,'' Miller said. "It was good for Armaan. His percentage doesn't dictate the type of shooter that he is, and as most guys do, you get taken aback by it. 

"I think he was worried about it too much, and I think he's stopped worrying about it. What was he going to do, go to 12 percent? It's like, stop worrying about it, you're eventually going to get your percentage to climb up because you're a good shooter, so just hang in there.''

The start to this season has been out of the ordinary for Franklin anyway. Indiana has only four true guards on their roster, and through almost all of the preseason workouts, Franklin was the only healthy guy out there. Phinisee and senior Devonte Green, the projected starting guards, missed almost all of October's workouts, and junior Al Durham also missed time with an ankle injury.

So Franklin got a lot of work, and in a lot of different settings. As the only guard who was upright in the season opener, he had a team-high eight assists. Indiana needed him then, and they need him now.

Maybe Saturday will be that turning point.

"He's got to become a more vocal kid,'' Miller said. "I don't want to say he's a timid personality, but he's reserved. He's quiet on the court. I think he's a vibrant kid, so if he has the ability to show some of that vibrance on the floor a little bit more, I think it would be infectious. 

"We've tried to encourage him to do that, and I think he's done that. He's gotten better defensively. As a young player, you're out there sometimes and you're at the mercy of the other coaches trying to go at you. He's been able to answer the bell for us a few times defensively for us, but I just think he has a real calm, smooth approach offensively. 

"He knows how to play the game. He makes solid, sound plays, and he's not afraid, and I think as he's gotten a little bit older, the bigger the lights of the game, the more he's been able to step up, whether it was Florida State, where he made huge plays down the stretch of that one, or whether it was this one. Armaan is a really good player. He's going to continue to get even better as he gets older and bigger and stronger. The experience that he's getting right now as a freshman, him and Trayce in particular, they play a vital role for us.''

Miller loves everything about Frankin, and he's confident that he's going to have a great career at Indiana. And he has ZERO doubt about that .

"Armaan's greatest attribute is the type of person he is. He's just a terrific kid. It's just hard not to pull for him, hard not to be around. There are no bad days with him,'' Miller said. "All in all, couldn't be happier for him.''