Rockets ready for new season under new skipper

Matt Fraliex is remarkably prepared for his first role as a boys’ head basketball coach, particularly for his inaugural season at Crittenden County.

He has inherited a team blessed with one of the most talented players in school history who’s chasing down the team’s all-time scoring record. Crittenden County senior Travis Champion needs but 457 points to catch Tim Hill, whose career ended in 2005.

Fraliex has been down the same path. He’s already been fitted with a scoring crown of his own from Caldwell County where played from 2002 to 2007, dropping 2,941 points.

The coach talks about some of the similarities of his own career and what Champion is experiencing right now. The makeup up of this team reminds Fraliex a little bit of his own playing days. He was the star of the show just like Champion. Fraliex went on to play collegiately at Murray State. Some smaller schools are recruiting the Crittenden senior, including Morehead, Transylvania and Brescia. Depending on his final season, Champion’s stock could go up. He’s certainly among the all-time best to suit up for a home game at Rocket Arena.

Champion has 1,365 career points. He’s No. 3 on the Rockets all-time scoring list behind Hill who has 1,822 and Bennett Smith with 1,596. He needs 232 to pass Smith. Champion scored 655 last season and 581 as a sophomore, so capturing the team’s career scoring crown is simply a matter of time, so long as he stays healthy.

“Travis is a leader, a great facilitator and he gets less credit for that,” the first-year Rocket skipper said. “Travis wants to include all of his teammates into the game. Sometimes you have to tell him shoot the ball. He just wants to make everyone around him better.”

He draws a great deal of defensive attention so there should be ample opportunity for others to get in on the offensive action.

The Rockets will look for freshman Bryson Walker to be a key contributor. He had a good summer with the Rockets and played well in AAU against top-notch competition.

“Bryson has grown over the summer. He hit the weight room and added a whole new facet to his game with added strength,” Fraliex said.

The emergence of Gabe Keller and Jonah Reddick around the basket could be a key factor in the Rockets’ success. The coach says both will step into bigger roles than either have had before now. Keller has gotten stronger and gained confidence during a good season on the football field. Reddick, who transfered from Lyon County, has sat out the last two seasons, but the coach likes what he sees. Both, Fraliex said, will have to adjust quickly to the speed of the varsity game.

Jaxon Hatfield will share time at the point along with Champion, Walker and up-and-comer CamRon Belcher.

Belcher will bring a great deal of athleticism to the floor. 

“He is kind of an X factor for us,” the coach said. “He can be a hidden gem.”

Fraliex describes senior Turner Sharp as an “Allen Wrench,” who does things to help the team that may not show up in the nightly box score.

Kaiden Travis and Brayden Poindexter bring depth around the basket. Travis is a guy who will “beat and bang” with anybody, the coach said. Poindexter should “come into his own” this season, Fraliex adds.

Andrew Candelario and Dawson Jones are a couple of other Rockets who figure into the mix by providing help off of the bench.

With Lyon County stacked with talent rarely seen in the Fifth District, the Rockets figure to be a contender for the league’s runnerup spot but getting past Trigg County and Livingston Central will be a defined challenge. Crittenden will open district play late next week at Smithland.

Fraliex understands the Rockets will have a real test this season to prove its might around the region, but says he will be building for the future in 2023-24, too.

“This is a good first-year team for me to have,” he said. “While we might have a real test to win the All A Classic or the district, we will be setting the foundation for the future of this program.”

Fraliex, who grew up in Fredonia, says he’s found a home at Crittenden County and wants to be here for a long time.

“I want to have a Shannon Hodge longevity. I want to be coaching these players’ kids some day.”