By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Last week, Tennessee Tech men's basketball head coach John Pelphrey announced the signing of six individuals for the 2020-21 season. Over the next two weeks, we will take a closer look at each member of the newest class of Golden Eagles.
The first of the six to sign, committing during the first signing period in November, Damaria Franklin will join the Tech ranks after spending the last two seasons competing at State Fair Community College in Sedalia, Mo.
"The biggest factor in my decision to choose Tennessee Tech was [Assistant] Coach [Andre] Bell," Franklin explained. "We had a relationship before he joined Tech as an assistant last year. He was recruiting me to go to the junior college he was at [Moberly Area Community College], so that played a huge role in my decision making."
"Mars was the first guy to sign with us in the fall," Pelphrey explained. "He quickly started to believe and embrace our culture and what we want to be about with regards to learning, growing and getting better on a daily basis. We are very proud of the progress he has made since high school while being at SFCC and playing for Matt Brown, a former Division I head coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City."
The 6-foot-4 guard led the Roadrunners in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals as a sophomore last season, averaging 19.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He shot 43.2 percent from the field and 73.1 percent from the charity stripe on his way to All-Region 16 First Team and All-Missouri Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC) First Team honors.
"The thing I loved the most about the recruitment process was that they [the coaching staff] never stopped talking to me," Franklin said. "They always kept in contact and made it feel like I was already a part of the family at Tech."
Franklin put forth an impressive freshman campaign at State Fair, earning All-Region 16 First Team and All-MCCAC First Team accolades after ranking as on the of the team's most dangerous scorers. He finished second on the squad with 13.3 points per game and third with 4.0 rebounds per game.
"Coach Pelphrey's name by itself says a lot about him," Franklin expressed. "He's one of the greatest basketball players to ever play at Kentucky. But on top of that, he's just a nice guy, always has energy, and he's a family man, so he knows what he's doing in life."
A native of Chicago, Franklin prepped at Niles North High School in Skokie, Ill., earning All-State First Team honors after leading his team to a Region title as a senior. That year, he averaged 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.6 steals while also claiming Chicago Sun Times All-Area First Team accolades.
"I'm looking forward to bringing a championship to Cookeville," Franklin said. "That's my main goal. I want to help bring a championship home to my school and the people in the community."
"Mars has developed physically, his overall game skill-wise on the court and his leadership," Pelphrey added. "We look forward to seeing continued growth in those areas when he gets to Cookeville, as well competing in the classroom like he would on the court and serving in our community."
