Bruce Franks doesn’t have to yell during games.
After 37 years, there have been plenty of times the veteran coach has felt the urge to raise his voice or to set a player straight after a mistake.
But Franks discovered a long time ago there is a way to do things. His philosophy stems from the lessons he learned growing up in a home under his father, Lonnie, a drill sergeant, who taught him to say, “Yes sir” at an early age. That’s why Franks always has used practice as a time to correct and, if needed, to yell to accentuate a point.
During games, Franks prefers to sit on the sidelines — most often with his wife, Linda, at his side — and watch his players execute the plays they have gone over in practice. At 6-foot-7, Franks can strike an imposing pose, even when he remains seated in his chair during timeouts. Still, there is no yelling, only reassuring words from a coach who is confident in his methods and in his players.
“I love coaching kids,” Franks said late last month after announcing his retirement as girls and boys basketball coach at Hebron Christian School in Pheba. “I can teach them a lot more than basketball by coaching them. They have responsibilities. I try to put them in a leadership role where they have to be depended on by the other players, and that carries on to what they do in the future.”
State champions
For the second-straight season, Franks guided the Hebron Christian girls to a Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class A State title. The run ended with a loss to Parklane Academy in the Overall State Tournament at Mississippi College in Clinton.
For his accomplishments, Franks is The Dispatch’s Small Schools All-Area Coach of the Year.
Franks’ final season with the Hebron Christian girls ended at 24-3. It capped a successful stint at the school that began in 2013-14 after he retired from the public school system.
Prior to that, Franks coached at Chickasaw Academy, Calhoun Academy, Wilkinson County Christian Academy, and Woodland. After that school closed, Franks faced a choice of whether to go to Houlka or to Houston. He spent one season as an assistant coach at the school before being offered a job at Pontotoc. That’s when he received an offer to become a head coach at Houston, so he opted to stay. He wound up staying in the school district 28 years and helped to push his career win total to more than 1,000 victories.
Regardless of where he coached, Franks said he tried to remain the same. He said he helped students who were less fortunate and didn’t have enough to eat or didn’t have a shirt to wear to a banquet. Those lessons, too, came from his parents.
“My dad was willing to get out there and help anybody do anything, but he said if you step in and do everything for them it makes them weak,” Franks said. “If you can’t get out there and do it yourself, you’re going to be weak. If you did a good deed, there was going to be a time to come back and re-pay that good deed.”
Franks said he stressed those lessons to his sons, Chase and Braxton. He also has made sure all of his players have understood their importance. Franks hasn’t had to yell to do it, either.
Winning ways
This season, seniors Rebekah Falkner and Holly Hudson and junior Eliana Carter made sure Franks didn’t have to yell a lot.
They wanted to make things easier on their coach because he was dealing with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, or CLL, which limited his ability to be at practice. Franks said he had to have chemotherapy treatments twice a week in an effort to fight the leukemia. But the players banded together and made things easier on Franks and Linda.
“We played for him,” Hudson said after the team won the Class 1A crown. “He was like our motivation.”
Said Falkner, “It was tough thinking we could lose him, but we’re thankful he made it through it.”
Franks continues to battle CLL. He said his doctor has told him the second round of chemo is providing good signs. Another positive is he has gained eight pounds back after losing more than 50 after he learned he had CLL.
Still, as much as he would love to return for another basketball season, Franks said he was encouraged to slow down and take more time for the treatment to help him recover. That’s why he decided to step down as coach, even though he admits he didn’t want to leave the kids.
But after nearly 40 years, Franks can retire knowing he has left a legacy that will carry on without him on the sideline. There are the countless former players who remain in contact and who have offered thoughts and prayers to help in his battle with CLL. Those messages and calls mean a lot to a man who has set the example and pushed his players to take those lessons and do things the right way.
“Once I got into coaching, I knew that was kind of what I needed to do,” Franks said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
