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CLOUDY Temp: 45 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 24, 2003 Thanks in large part to Jeremy Frantz�s outside shooting, eighth-ranked South Medford is 4-0 in the Southern Oregon Conference. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli The Frantz connection Senior sharp-shooter is a key weapon for South, but he’s sometimes reluctant to pull the trigger By KRIS HENRY Mail Tribune It’s not often that a basketball team needs to push its leading scorer to take more shots, but that’s become the case at South Medford High. The eighth-ranked Panther boys aren’t struggling, mind you — they’ve done just fine in starting the season 12-1 overall and 4-0 in the Southern Oregon Conference. But as teams have packed in their defense to slow the impact of post players Eric Fischer, Craig Johnson, Boomer Marshall, et. al, the Panthers have been left craving a little more of what Jeremy Frantz can provide in order to click on all cylinders. "His success definitely determines our team’s success," says Fischer, a 6-foot-5 senior. Frantz, a 6-2, 185-pound guard, is unquestionably the team’s top outside shooter. When he’s in rhythm, he may be the purest shooter in the SOC. The 17-year-old senior has used that soft touch to average a team-high 10.3 points per game in a well-balanced Panther attack. Fischer averages 10.1 points per game, Johnson 10 and a host of others around the eight-point range entering tonight’s game at Eagle Point. But with that balanced scoring comes a commitment to team play, and that’s exactly why Frantz says he has passed up numerous long-range attempts thus far. "If I’m open, they all want me to shoot it," says Frantz. "But if I see someone like Craig open underneath, I’m going to get him the ball because that’s a better shot." And therein lies the rub for Frantz and the Panthers. "Jeremy doesn’t take a lot of bad shots," says 15th-year South Medford coach Dennis Murphy, "but he also passes up some good ones. And when you’re open, you’ve got to shoot it. Granted, I expect you to make it, too. If you don’t, you’re going to hear about it." After a slow start to the season, Frantz has built his overall shooting percentage to 52 percent from the field (46-for-89). He’s had 37-percent success behind the 3-point line (18-for-49) and is shooting a remarkable 70 percent from inside that range (28-for-40). Even those numbers, however, haven’t been enough to sway the admittedly nervous first-year varsity player. "It’s mainly mental for me," says Frantz. "It’s a big confidence thing. Early in the season, I was kinda nervous sometimes on whether or not I was going to fall over the stripe when I was coming out." "But I’m working on that," he quickly adds. "Murph always talks about how we need to know our roles, and my role is to shoot the ball and hit the shots. If I’m not hitting the shots, I’m not doing my job." It’s a job Frantz secured with an eye-opening performance at last year’s Class 4A state tournament, along with his steady climb up the ladder at South’s freshman, sophomore and junior-varsity levels. "One of the best things you can say about Jeremy is that he’s a kid who has endured and gone through our entire system," says Murphy. "He’s proof that if you’re willing to stay with it, believe in yourself and work hard, there’s a good chance your time will come." Despite having not stepped on the varsity court once all last season, Frantz’s time finally came when he was inserted late in South’s second- round game against Beaverton. The Panthers had struggled to score for most of the game, but 30 seconds into his first varsity action, Frantz swished a 3-pointer. Two minutes later, he added another to pull South within six with 1:42 to play. He had another 3-point attempt narrowly miss its mark that would have pulled South within two points in the eventual 57-52 loss to Beaverton. It seemed the perfect springboard to Frantz’s senior season. Those clutch baskets, however, still haven’t sunk in. "I was so nervous, I barely remember it," says Frantz, whose true niche is baseball. "I was just having fun out there and wasn’t thinking about anything. They just told me to shoot, and I did." Ten months later, the Panther coaches and players are still sending that message. "I have the utmost confidence in Jeremy," Murphy says, "and so do his teammates. It’s just a matter of him believing in himself." At no time has that become more vital than now, as more opponents have opted to slide off the Panthers’ perimeter players in order to focus on the South posts. "If Frantz can just sit out on the 3-point line and knock down three or four a game," says Fischer, "that will really open things up for the rest of us. I’m always on him about that. I wish he’d shoot 10 3s a game because he’ll make at least four or five. "Jeremy doesn’t just make one in a game. If he makes one, he’s going to make a bunch." Even with that wish list, Fischer understands Frantz’s dilemma. "It’s his first year on varsity, and I can speak from experience that you’re a little nervous about what the team’s going to say or Murph’s going to say if you miss a shot or two," says Fischer, himself a first-year starter. "It’s just a confidence thing." And a situation involving patience, which Frantz has in spades. "I know there’s going to be moments for me," says Frantz. "It’s just going to be different with different teams. I just have to be patient, and when I’m open and my shots come, I’ve got to make the most of my opportunity and hit those shots." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S