F Jerry Francis (official thread)

[Buckskin86]

Jerry Francis F (1985-1989)

Jerry Francis was an iron man for the Buckeyes during his tenure. He played in every one of the 133 games during his four years at Ohio State. He made the most of his time and finished with a 11.2 points per game average on 1,486 career points. His opportunistic scoring approach came because of great players such as Dennis Hopson and Jay Burson.

Francis had to make the most of what he could on offensive rebounds and open shots when he got them. Francis was always a role player for the Buckeyes, but made solid contributions during his time in scarlet and gray.

The 50 Greatest Ohio State College Basketball Players of All Time | Bleacher Report

Boys basketball: Former Buckeye to coach Pickerington Central
Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Former Ohio State player Jerry Francis has been approved as the new Pickerington Central boys basketball coach.

Francis brings a wealth of experience to the job, having served as head coach at Prairie View A&M and an assistant at Oregon State, Nebraska, Houston, Ball State, Ohio State, Wyoming, Butler and Bowling Green. He also has been an assistant at several high schools. His most recent job was coaching his son's third-grade team.

"There's very little difference in coaching one level from another because it's a developmental game and the basics are the game," Francis said. "This is a great opportunity for me at Pickerington."

Former coach Jerry Groves resigned in March after compiling a 45-62 record in five seasons.

One of the six members of the search committee was principal Scott Reeves, a teammate of Francis' at Ohio State. A 1985 Wehrle graduate, Francis scored 1,486 points for OSU.

"I had no idea that Jerry had any interest in this job initially; he approached me about applying," Reeves said. "To land a person who has basically been a coach for a living at so many levels, it's a real catch for this school."

Boys basketball: Former Buckeye to coach Pickerington Central | The Columbus Dispatch

 

[Buckskin86]

Francis turning around Tigers
Wednesday January 4, 2012

ThisWeek file
Former Ohio State standout Jerry Francis has turned around the boys basketball program at Pickerington High School Central, where he replaced Jerry Groves in 2010.

During the year and a half that he?s coached the Pickerington High School Central boys basketball team, Jerry Francis has used various tactics to attempt to instill the hard-working, confident approach that he believes will produce victories.

One tool in particular that has worked well as he?s attempted to infuse credibility is his use of a number: 1,486.

That represents how many points he scored while playing for Ohio State from 1985-89.

?The older I get, the better I was,? Francis jokingly said after his Tigers beat two-time defending OCC-Ohio Division champion Gahanna 58-54 on Dec. 16.

For a program that had experienced limited success throughout the decade before he took over, getting his players to buy in was one of Francis? first tasks when named coach in May 2010.

The last time the Tigers reached a Division I district final was 2003 under current Pickerington North coach Pete Liptrap before the district split into two high schools the next year.

From 2004-10, Central lost in the first round of the district tournament three times and in the second round four times.

Although the Tigers went 12-10 in 2009-10 in former coach Jerry Groves? last season, things really began to turn around late last winter.

cont...

http://www.thisweeknews.com/content...2012/01/03/francis-turning-around-tigers.html

 

[Jake]

Nice to see a guy who was at tOSU when I was doing well. Jerry was scrappy as hell on the court...but he looks a lot older than me.

 

[Buckskin86]

High-school basketball: Francis finds a perfect fit
Well-traveled coach guides Pickerington Central
By Steve Blackledge
The Columbus Dispatch Thursday March 22, 2012

Jeff Hinckley | DISPATCH photos
Pickerington Central coach Jerry Francis gathers his team at center court. The Tigers will play in their first state tournament on Friday.

Having put down and picked up roots umpteen times trying to boost his career as a college basketball coach, Jerry Francis finally reached a crossroad in 2008 in Corvallis, Ore.

His position as an assistant at Oregon State was his ninth college coaching job since graduating from Ohio State in 1991 ? none of which had lasted more than three years. Francis is energetic, even a workaholic, but the intense grind had become too much.

?I worked all day, then came home and cried all night,? Francis said. ?I had pictures of my three kids on my food tray and thought about them constantly. If you?ve ever been to the Pacific Northwest in the middle of the winter, you understand where I?m coming from. It?s so dark and lonely. I felt so far away from home.?

cont...

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2012/03/22/francis-finds-a-perfect-fit.html

 

[Buckskin86]

Coach Jerry Francis and his Pickerington Central players celebrate after winning the Division I championship, the school?s first.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2012/03/25/tigers-bring-home-first-state-title.html