SEASON PREVIEW … Archbold boys basketball coach Joe Frank (left) has been involved in more than 40 percent of the Bluestreaks 1,745 basketball victories since the program started. Frank presented the program at a recent Archbold Rotary meeting. Rotarian Bill Rufenacht arranged the program.
Archbold Bluestreak basketball is one of the most successful in Ohio. In terms of total wins, the program ranks second among all schools with 1,745 victories.
And, according to Archbold Rotarian Bill Rufenacht, the current head coach Joe Frank has in one way or another figured in more than 40 percent of those wins.
When his playing days as a sophomore on Archbold’s varsity team are included and the wins during his long career as the school’s assistant basketball coach are added to his last five years as head coach, Joe Frank has been part of 722 of the program’s 1,745 wins.
However, Coach Frank recently told Archbold Rotarians that his love for the community, the school and the team goes much deeper than wins.
He said that he’s proudest of the role that he has played in helping all of those young men develop into hard working, caring adults who possess lifelong skills that make them successful in whatever they do and the relationships that they form.
According to the coach, the NWOAL schedule this year will be challenging with a number of teams returning experienced players. And Archbold will play many of those teams on the road.
He expects that perimeter shooting and ball handling will be strengths of this year’s Bluestreak team while defense and rebounding will need more work.
He added that a rule change concerning fouls will likely impact games this year. Specifically, once a team commits its fifth foul in a quarter, the opposing team will begin shooting two free throws — even for common fouls. The one and one has been eliminated.
He speculated that teams with fouls to spare may choose to commit non-shooting fouls to disrupt game flow for an opposing team.