This school year, Franklin men’s basketball welcomes a new head coach to their program: Conor Mullany, who previously coached at McKay High School in Salem. Every level of Franklin’s men basketball features a new coaching lineup. Mullany will be assisted on varsity by the new Clay Atkins and returning Kevin Nguyen, who coached junior varsity (JV) last year. JV will now be coached by another new addition, Kyle Santos, and the freshman team coach is currently undecided.
Mullany was hired this past May to serve as head coach and immediately began his work with the team. Nguyen says that he and Mullany have been having regular meetings to discuss strategy, and the team is deep in their pre-season regimen, which includes weight training three mornings a week, plus time on the court most evenings. It is Mullany’s goal in the upcoming season to “be competitive in every game,” adding that despite Franklin’s very young varsity team, he thinks they could “really surprise people.” Nguyen agrees, stating, “The only way is up,” and adding that he is excited to see the younger players start to play at the varsity level.
Even more than that, Mullany is deeply invested in the culture of the team, specifically in the “winning culture” he aims to foster. “Winning culture starts with how we’re building these kids as individuals,” he says. “We have to carry ourselves like winners and act like winners before we ever become winners, especially on the basketball court.”
Beyond on-court play, it is also important to him how his players act as members of the broader student body. “I want Franklin basketball players to be lights within the community … holding the door for people, going out of their way for other members of their community.” Mullany believes that how players act on and off the court influence each other. He strives to instill good habits in his players in their everyday life, which will then transfer into basketball, and vice versa, saying, “If I’m able to teach hard work on the basketball court, if I’m able to teach kids [to do] things for other people on the basketball court, they’ll become individuals like that throughout their lives.”
Mullany expresses a deep care for his players and for having a positive impact on their lives. “Seeing a young man who was getting himself in trouble a lot, skipping classes, not being the best friend, teammate, or son to his parents, and seeing that individual turn around over years … it’s a really rewarding experience to me,” he says. Mullany adds that growing up he didn’t always have super positive or welcoming coaches, and now he wants to create a space where students can “feel safe, vulnerable, and able to make mistakes.” He finds it incredibly rewarding to be able to “see a young man start to embrace his emotions, start to be okay with losing, okay with challenges, and embrace those.” Nguyen concurs, saying that he feels that “Young men need strong role models, and [he is] fortunate enough to be in a position where [he] can try and be that for them.”
Atkins’ young experiences were more positive, and included some great coaches that “not only helped me improve as an athlete, but also taught life lessons about teamwork, hard work, personal growth, and accountability,” he says. “Passing these life skills on to young athletes is paying these gifts forward.”
