A Point Breeze basketball standout scored his first pro championship in Central America.
Chaz Franklin, right, capped off his recent journey to Guatemala with a little championship celebration.
Possessing a grateful mentality, Chaz Franklin uses Christmas to acknowledge his blessings. The most recent rendition found the 30-year-old hoopster especially appreciative, as he spent it recollecting a joyous bit of novelty. Only two days prior to regaling his acquaintances with tales of his fortune, the guard celebrated with his teammates in Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala, after their efforts brought him his initial professional title in his sixth experience with international competition.
All victories deserve praise, and the resident of 17th and Morris streets has received and distributed ample samples of gratitude for the Latin-American triumph. With 20 years of basketball involvement, he has experienced enough to know that dispensing indebtedness matters more than welcoming it.
“The time in Guatemala was magical,” the chiseled champion said Jan. 11 after an intense day of training his body in the hopes of adding another foreign club. “The title gave me the best experience of my life.”
The crown and the popularity he gained as the season unfolded would not have become prized coins in his memory bank had he not listened to youngsters who love the sport as much as Franklin did as a 10-year-old launching jumpers at DiSilvestro Playground, 1710 S. 15th St. Members of the Huntingdon Valley Lions, they last year encouraged their coach to test his frame against his peers one more time.
“I committed myself, too,” the baller, whose early dreams involved stroking shots in the NBA, said of preparing to have a chance to add to journeys in Germany, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Bosnia and Kuwait.
With seven championships in three years under Franklin, the Lions possess obvious skills and seemed like teenage versions of Nostradamus when the Guatemalan Basketball Federation signed him in mid-November. Knowledgeable of Latin American ball’s physical nature through his 2007 stint in Venezuela, he knew his workouts would serve him well. Exercising his muscles and manners brought him renown in just over six weeks of contests.
He hustled each second, an activity that often involved diving for loose balls. Gaining figurative points while gunning for literal ones, he frequently high-fived fans when his pursuits landed him in the stands.
“I had a humble mindset before going to Guatemala, but it increased when I saw how much the people appreciate life and enjoy the small things,” the sniper, who averaged 25 points and eight assists, said.
Lacking an insular mentality, he engrossed himself in the local culture, a move that endeared him to the public as it painted him the way he wanted citizens to see him, as a “regular guy.” Bonding with teammates and inhabitants deemed him customary, but dribbling, dishing and shooting proved him exceptional.
His squad’s semifinal win required the season’s biggest display of guts. Franklin led a massive comeback and iced the battle with two heartbreaking three-pointers. Avenging a regular season loss, he orchestrated a championship rout by containing his opponent’s main threat, a behemoth dubbed “Big Shaq.”
“The semifinal was bigger, but that final was so gratifying,” Franklin said.
He returned to the United States in time to give everyone a share in his surreal holiday experience and set himself the task of hoping for a seventh sojourn. He has corresponded with a Dominican team, as well as units in Chile, Egypt and El Salvador. Set to turn 31 Feb. 28, he sees 37-year-old Phoenix Sun Steve Nash, 38-year-old Dallas Maverick Jason Kidd and 47-year-old boxing champion Bernard Hopkins as influences for his desire to play at least 10 more years.
“I have discipline over my body,” Franklin, who has tabbed Spain his dream location, said. “If I stay healthy, I plan to be playing.”
Franklin knows mental stamina will assist his plans to prolong his career, as he has called on it to balance his domestic duties and wanderlust. Basketball always drives him to duel with distress diligently, and he has emerged victorious each time, scoring points that have won plaudits and learning lessons that have brought self-satisfaction.
“I look at everything as a blessing, even setbacks,” he said.
Windfall found him in ’05, when he graduated from New York’s Roberts Wesleyan College with All-American Mideast Conference distinction and a psychology degree. He showed his skills to European personnel at Syracuse University that summer, with his hops helping him to land a spot on Germany’s Mitteldeutscher Basketball Club the following August. Remaining with the bunch through early ’07, he engrossed himself in a world of curiosity and newness, a universe he still inhabits.
“Playing abroad can bring on a case of culture shock,” he said, citing ingesting horse and bull and debating the role of religion as some memorable endeavors.
He made his way to South America to compete for a Venezuelan outfit and added treks to the Dominican Republic, Bosnia and Kuwait, with the final two influencing his cultural and educational identities. The Bosnian War, waged from 1992 to ’95, left the European land suffering, with Sarajevo gravely affected. Franklin played in the capital city, gaining knowledge of the conflict’s aftermath.
Chaz Franklin is having a hard time finding cheesesteaks these days. Actually, he has pretty much given up his search. Playing professional basketball in Germany, the 25-year-old from 17th and Morris streets knows they're nonexistent. "The food is very different," Franklin said via e-mail, "and most of the time, I don't even know what I am eating. I have been surviving off chocolate-chip cookies and milk." But it's basketball -- not the food -- that keeps Franklin from getting homesick. He is playing with the Mitteldeutscher Basketball Club and averaging 16 points, 6.5 assists, six rebounds and three steals a game. The German basketball season runs from late August until May. "Playing in Germany has been a great experience," the guard said. "The fans are very knowledgeable about the game and almost as passionate as Philly fans. The passion they show energizes me as a player, and makes me want to play that much harder. "They love fast-break basketball, and when I get on the break and finish with a dunk, they go crazy." That he is only 5-foot-10 makes the feat even more impressive, and he has become a star with young German fans. "Growing up on the playground,...
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1. Anonymous said... on Jan 20, 2012 at 09:55AM
“Congrats to a good friend who embodies perseverance and hard work
”
2. Mom said... on Jan 21, 2012 at 10:11AM
“Chaz has always gone above.and beyond the call of duty. You can rest assure that he ALWAYS gives 150%. I am so proud of Chaz. Not only is he an exceptional ball player, a compassionate man, always thinking of ways to be a blessing to others, but most of all a VERY LOVING, RESPECTFUL AND SUPPORTIVE SON!
Much Love, Mom :0)”
3. Big Sis said... on Jan 21, 2012 at 11:24AM
“I am so proud of my little brother, even though he's bigger than me. He loves the sport of basketball and he's great at it. He loves people in general and he gives his all in everything that he does. He's loving, supportive, compassionate, and he's always there for his big sis. GREAT JOB CHAZ!!! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!
Much Love, Your Big "little" Sis”