On Sept. 8, senior Armaan Franklin announced his verbal commitment to Indiana University, choosing the Hoosiers over Purdue, Xavier and many other top-tier programs. On Nov. 14, he signed his national letter of intent to make in office.

Franklin is officially a Hoosier.

Armaan explained why IU topped the other schools on his list, saying,“I felt that (Indiana University was) my best option to get me to where I want to go in life, which is to play professional basketball. The have a great coaching staff and great player development piece to them that will help me.”

However, Franklin’s basketball career did not just begin as a four-star basketball recruit. He’s had to work to be in the position he is in now.

When asked about what led to his recruiting spike during his junior year, Franklin pointed to constant effort as the key factor. 

“I think the biggest thing has been hard work. The hard work started paying off during my junior year,” Franklin said. “I had to stay patient. At times, things may not had been going how I liked it, but I just stuck with it and it paid off.”

Franklin’s supporters he has had along the way are just another important aspect of how his commitment was made possible. That Number-1 supporter spot, of course, is reserved for his mom, Mrs. India Franklin.

Mrs. Franklin has helped prepare her son since a young age by being a constant example of what hard work looks like, and she felt this was most evident when she was studying to receive her master’s degree. 

“When Armaan was around third or fourth grade, I had to take my books to AAU tournaments and was always working between games. He had a front seat to that, which has propelled him to get locked, get focused, and push for his own dreams,” she said.

Varsity Head Coach and Assistant Athletics Director Mr. Jason Delaney has also been very instrumental in furthering Armaan’s career. 

Delaney was one of the people who really started to put Franklin’s name out there and also shared most of the same priorities as Franklin. Armann said, “He always made sure that we had (college) coaches in the gym. He is also big on player development. I think that’s the most important thing for me too, so it kind of just works hand in hand.”

Finally, the essential component that helped Armaan’s recruitment blossom even more is the atmosphere that the school provides for students in and outside of the classroom. Mrs. Franklin acknowledged how Cathedral fit her son extremely well.

She said, “We went to the Open House, and everything about Cathedral fit what I needed for him. The teachers are always engaged, they’re always there to help, and the school has so many resources. I just felt Cathedral was where he was going to be most successful.”

Armaan conveyed that same assessment about the school. “I just felt like here would better prepare me better for college,” he said.

Nobody is more proud of Armaan than his mom and Coach Delaney. Mrs. Franklin explained how proud she is of her son because of how he has developed. “It feels amazing to see his progression, dedication and now the reward. This is something that he has been dreaming about since he was a little kid,” she said.

Delaney maintained that same notion, explaining how happy he is to see Armaan’s long-term efforts pay off. “You have a real sense of pride because you see how hard he’s worked, a lot of the time when no one else is watching. It just makes me really proud of him, because he is a good person as well.”

Armaan’s Hoosiers have already started their season, but Armaan and his teammates will have to wait until Wednesday to start play. The Irish open the night before Thanksgiving against Howe at home in the Welch Activity Center, with the varisty tipping off at 7:30.