New CSC men’s basketball coach optimistic
Coaches dislike late night phone calls. It often means one or more of their athletes are in trouble. Chadron State's new men's basketball coach Chris Francis said he's received a few inconvenient calls since classes began just over a month ago.
But he was in a good mood when the calls ended. They came from campus security workers who were locking up the CSC gyms and found some of his players shooting baskets "after hours."
"I'm happy these guys want to work on their game whenever possible," Francis said with a grin. "I didn't have much time to put a team together, but think we've found some players who love the sport, are working hard, like the college and have been getting along well."
Francis signed the contract to coach the Eagles on July 15, just a month before classes began. He "inherited" five players from last year's roster along with twins who had committed to attend CSC last October, then he immediately began searching for more players to help build the team.
The personable coach now has a 15-man roster and is optimistic with what he's seen from them. Under NCAA rules, he gets to "coach them" four hours a week prior to Oct. 11, when full-scale workouts will begin.
"I especially like the work ethic and the attitude they've displayed," the coach noted. "And, I think we've got some talented on the team. I've seen enough of them the believe we can be competitive."
Francis, who had a 176-94 record as the head coach at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma prior to coming to Chadron State, points out that his late recruiting didn't cost the college a dime. He never left Chadron while using his cell phone to make the contacts after searching the transfer portal to see who was still available.
He sent the potential recruits a short video he'd shot with his phone. It included a few campus scenes and footage of the Chicoine Center, where the Eagles practice and play their games.
"Several told me they were impressed by what I sent them and after they arrived and saw the facilities in person they liked things even better," Francis said. "I did it all the modern way, using social media."
The five players returning from last year include a full-time starter, senior guard Dalton Peterson of Encampment, Wyo., and Casper College. He led the Eagles in 3-pointers with 68 treys while shooting 40% from behind the arc. He averaged 8.2 points and earned all A's both semesters.
The quintet also includes 6-foot-9 John Jenkins, who seldom played the first semester, but wound up starting 11 games and averaging 8.9 points. His scoring included 18- and 16-point games.
The other returnees are 6-5 Julio Phillips, who played in 25 of the 29 games and shot 47.3% from the field and 77.8% (14-18) from the free throw line; 6-3 Trey Ballard, who showed promise last season while playing in the first five games before missing the rest of the season because of an injury; and 6-0 Jasiya DeOllos, the leading scorer in the Panhandle as a senior at Scottsbluff in 2019-20 with a 20-point average. DeOllos transferred to CSC last fall, then redshirted during the 2023-24 season.
The twins are Treyson and Ty Neff, natives of Medford, Ore. Both are guards who played the past two years at College of the Redwoods in California. Former CSC Coach Shane Paben connected with them early last season and they remained committed to attending CSC despite the coaching change. Trey averaged 18 points and Ty 10.5 last season.
The eight players Francis signed late this summer came from several directions. Seven are transfers and one is a freshman.
Among them is Darrius Miles, who at 6-11 will be as tall as anyone who has ever played for the Eagles. Neither of the two others in the 6-10 and 6-11 range earned much playing time.
A native of Dallas, Miles was a 3-star recruit coming out of high school and enrolled at CSC after being on the team at Division I Texas-Arlington. Francis believes Miles will be a force in Division II at both ends of the court. The coach uses the word "showtime" after getting a glimpse of Miles' moves. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
The other recent recruits in alphabetical order are:
-Jalen Davis, a 6-5 power junior forward who averaged 14 points and 8.7 rebounds at Lakawanna College in Pennsylvania in 2021-22, and also appears to be a superb defender, Francis said.
-Trey Harris is 6-7 and was drawing interest from Division I teams but couldn't sign until he completed his degree from New Mexico Junior College late this summer, so they lost interest. That's when Coach Francis located him. Harris previously played at Division I Lamar University in Texas.
-Gaeb Perry is a 6-3 off-guard who averaged seven points at San Diego Miramar College last season. He's what Francis describes as "a menace on defense" and looks for an open teammate when he has the ball. The coach says he's also an excellent student.
-Jackson Schauer, a 6-1 guard, is the freshman of the group after averaging 25 points, five assists, four assists and three steals at Faith High School in South Dakota last season. He finished his career with 1,827 points and was a finalist for Mr. Basketball, among numerous other honors. Francis said he's impressed that even though the other players are more experienced, that doesn't seem to phase Schauer. "I hope we can get him some playing time this season," the coach noted.
-Zach Smith, a 6-3 guard comes to CSC from Baltimore Community College where he averaged 12 points and can score in a variety of ways. Francis adds that Smith also appears to be an excellent defender. "He's like several others who joined the team," the coach said. "When I was recruiting them, I was mostly looking at their offensive stats, but after working with them, I'm impressed by how they get after it on defense."
-Jalen Thomas, a 6-1 point guard was the first player off the bench last year at Division I Tarleton State in Texas. The new CSC coach is familiar with Thomas since he played his first two years at Oklahoma Panhandle State, which is in the same conference as Oklahoma's University of Science and Arts, where Francis previously coached. Francis calls him "strong and physical" and said Thomas has an outstanding mid-range game.
-Zy Wright is a 6-5 senior who averaged 18 points and five rebounds at Gordon State in Georgia as a sophomore in 2022-23. Last year he shot 48% from the field and averaged 10 points and four rebounds at Texas-Permian Basin. He can score both from the outside and by taking the ball to the basket, Francis said.
