So by now I’m sure you’ve all heard about Gary Franklin’s decision to transfer out of Cal.
Its a bit puzzling, to say the least. Its not just me. Cal head coach Mike Montgomery seemed just as taken aback.
“He has dreams to play in the NBA and doesn’t feel like he’ll be able to do it here,” Montgomery told Jeff Faraudo Wednesday afternoon, just before the team boarded its flight for Thursday night’s game at Arizona.
“He wasn’t upset about anything,” Montgomery said. “He feels like he needs to be a point (guard) at the next level. (Transferring is) something he felt he needed to do.”
Fair enough.
Freshman transfer out all the time when they don’t get the opportunity to prove themselves in a program. But Franklin had plenty of chances, he just didn’t capitalize on them.
You want advanced statistics? I got advanced statistics. Franklin had the second highest usage rate on the Cal roster as a starter playing more than 25 minutes per game, but his offensive rating or 75.4 was the lowest on the team for anyone in the rotation. In fact, he had the second lowest offensive rating of anyone in the Pac-10.
You want basic statistics? I got basic statistics, too. Franklin led the team with 118 FGA’s and 82 3PA’s, but was shooting a team-worst 29.7% from the floor and 29.3% from three. Want another curveball? Franklin was benched two games ago against Hartford and only played ten minutes, but he responded with 15 points and four assists against Stanford on Sunday.
Could it be that Franklin actually realized that he was playing at too high of a level? Doubtful. My guess is that he thought that Montgomery’s system didn’t fit his strengths, which is why he struggled so much.
I don’t know.
What I do know is that UNLV, also known as transfer central, has received a release allowing them to recruit Franklin.
So there’s that.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.