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Franceschelli wants Struthers to embrace family
STRUTHERS
It’s fitting that the members of the Struthers boys basketball team were all wearing gray t-shirts, with the word “FAMILY” printed down the back, when Jimmy Franceschelli was announced as their new head coach Tuesday afternoon at the high school.
Not only is that the mentality the 2003 Struthers graduate wants to instill in his players, but it also happens to be the overwhelming theme of the week for the Franceschellis.
Along with accepting his first head coaching job, Tuesday was the 50th birthday of Franceschelli’s mother. Oh by the way, on Friday he’s marrying his fiance, Lyndsey Crown.
“This is quite possibly the busiest week/month of my life,” Franceschelli joked. “I wouldn’t have it any other way though.
“Honestly, being a part of here, being with these kids every day — and for [Lyndsey] and my parents and everybody that put up with what this month of June is going to be — it means a lot.”
Franceschelli is taking over the Wildcats program after spending a year as an assistant under the previous head coach, Joe Savko. That was Franceschelli’s second stint as a Struthers assistant.
After graduating, he stuck around to learn under the man who coached him — and who he now considers a mentor — Joe Fuline.
Fuline coached at Struthers for 24 years and is currently an assistant at the University of Mount Union. Franceschelli says he still talks to Fuline daily.
“I said when I was 18 years old, graduating high school, that I sat and dreamed about coming back to my alma mater,” Franceschelli said. “I just want to give back what I got out of high school.”
The group of players he’ll be inheriting attended the announcement of their new coach on Tuesday. The Wildcats are coming off a 8-15 season where they lost to eventual regional runner up, Poland, in a Division II sectional final.
“This makes it easier to come back and play another year,” said senior Noah Linnen. “When we heard we weren’t going to have the coach we thought we were going to have, that was a big change. But knowing that it’s Jimmy, it’s a lot easier to come back and play because it’ll feel just the same as it did before.”
His players’ support is a strong indication that Franceschelli’s newly instilled family atmosphere is off to a good start. He doesn’t envision the new title changing that, either.
“The nice thing I have with this team is we get along so well,” he said. “That goes back to being able to relate to these guys. I don’t want to just strictly be their basketball coach. I don’t want to be a drill sergeant for two hours. I want them to be able to come to me if they’re having a problem at home.
“That’s the kind of person I think I am and will be for these guys.”
After the honeymoon period ends — both professionally and personally — Franceschelli say he will be excited to get his team back to playing what he calls “Struthers basketball.”
“I’m just trying to get back to having our family aspect,” he said. “Our Struthers family is all together, we’re all one and I think in a short time here we’ve come together as a family.
“People around the community are starting to realize what we’re about.”