Abilene ISD -

While the Abilene High Eagles are making their mark in the Class 5A football playoffs, the school’s basketball teams are diligently preparing for what the two head coaches believe will be highly successful seasons.

The Abilene High girls, now under head coach Alfonzo Franklin, are 1-1 to start the season and will play this weekend in the Eaton Tournament in the DFW Metroplex, an early season test for the team. Veteran head coach Justin Reese leads the Abilene High boys, who play their first three games away from Eagle Gym: Saturday, Nov. 9, vs. Del Rio at San Angelo Lake View High School; Tuesday, Nov. 12, at Midland High; and Friday, Nov. 15, at Aledo. AHS plays its first game at Eagle Gym on Friday, Nov. 22, against San Angelo Central at 7:3 p.m.

Here’s a brief look at each team going into the 2024-25 season:

Abilene High Boys: Veteran Squad Has Eyes on Postseason
The Eagles return eight letterwinners from last year’s 22-12 team that finished third in District 4-5A and reached the state playoffs. Expectations are high that the Eagles will again get to the postseason with a chance to make a run through the playoffs.

Seniors Connel Colley and Eric Salazar and junior guard Brooks Reese were starters on that team last year. They are among a group that includes senior forward Carter Wyatt in their third season on the varsity. Coach Reese is counting on those four players to be vocal leaders, guiding the team on and off the court. Brenner Paul and Myles Osborne each missed significant playing time last year with injuries, but both are healthy and expected to contribute immediately.

“We believe our experience will help us,” Coach Reese said. “We also know we must keep improving because everybody will be talented and well-coached. The most significant factor will be how much we improve as the season progresses.  The teams that keep getting better throughout the year are the teams that make a run in the district and beyond.”

Coach Reese said that with only five teams in the district and eight games to determine the league’s four playoff representatives, the premium is on focus and effort in each of those eight league games.

“I've never been part of a five-team district, so this is new to me,” he said. “I know this: every game will feel even more significant with only five teams. We must balance ensuring we bring our best effort and focus to every game while staying loose and confident.”

Abilene High Girls: New Head Coach Expects Return to Playoffs
Abilene High’s new coach doesn’t mince words.

When asked what he expects from his team, he said, “I believe we will win a district championship.”

When asked for general comments about his team, he said, “We have depth at post and guard. We should present several matchup problems throughout the year.”

When asked about the most significant factor in his team being a contender for a playoff spot, he said, “My posts being the best players on the floor night in and night out.”

The comments weren’t coming from a place of arrogance but from the confidence of a head coach who’s taken teams to the playoffs, won 63 games in three seasons as a head coach, and believes that an Abilene High team that made the playoffs last year for the first time since 2019 is ready to take the next step in its development.

Before getting his first head coaching job at Hale Center before the 2021-22 season, Franklin spent two seasons at Lubbock Estacado High School as an assistant boys’ basketball coach for highly respected head coach Tony Wagner. Franklin has made three trips to the state playoffs at Hale Center in his first head coaching job.

He inherits a team with seven returning letterwinners, including senior guard Samia Cooper, a first-team All-District 4-5A selection last year. Also returning are second-team all-district selections from 2023-24: senior guard Myra Thomas and senior forward Taryn Moore. Newcomers Kara Franklin and Kandace Franklin (daughters of the head coach) bolster the depth at guard, and the return of Gracie Jordan and newcomer Nyellie Lee fortify the depth at the post.

Abilene High Boys Capsule
2024-25 Schedule

Head coach: Justin Reese (18th year, 7th at AHS)
Career record: 335-209 overall, 98-80 at AHS
Last year’s record: 22-12, 8-4 (3rd in District 4-5A)
Last district title: 2016
Last playoff appearance: 2024 (lost to Amarillo Palo Duro, 60-36, in Class 5A bi-district round)
Returning lettermen/starters:  8/3
Players to watch (name, position, height, classification): Connel Colley, forward, 6-4, sr; Brooks Reese, guard, 5-11, jr; Eric Salazar, guard, 6-1, sr; Tyson Thompson, guard, 5-11, sr; Payton Shawver, guard, 6-1, jr; Brenner Paul, forward, 6-3, jr; Myles Osborne, guard, 6-0, jr; Carter Wyatt, forward, 6-1, sr.
Newcomers to watch (name, position, height, classification): Cade Reese, guard, 5-9, soph; Gavin Colley, guard, 6-1, soph; Kuami Wright, forward, 6-2, soph; George Ferguson, forward, 6-4, soph.
Quoting Coach Reese: “We return quite a bit of experience this year. Our strength should be working hard and playing together. We are mixing some of that experience with youth. We have four sophomores who will be playing their first year on varsity, and they are working hard. They’ll continue to get better as the season goes along.”

Abilene High Girls Capsule
2024-25 Schedule

Head coach: Alfonzo Franklin (4th year, 1st at AHS)
Career record: 63-36
Last year’s record: 17-16, 5-7 (4th in District 2-6A)
Last district title: 2004
Last playoff appearance: 2024 (lost to Amarillo High, 67-18, in Class 5A bi-district)
Returning lettermen/starters: 7/0 
Players to watch (name, position, height, classification): Taryn Moore, forward, 6-0, sr; Samia Cooper, guard, 5-5, sr; Gracie Jordan, forward, 6-1, sr; Myra Thomas, guard, 5-5, sr.
Newcomer to watch (name, position, height, classification): Kara Franklin, guard, 5-4, jr; Kandace Franklin, guard, 5-5; Nyellie Lee, forward, 5-11.
Quoting Coach Franklin: “Our key to a successful season is bringing energy and intensity to practice every day and to every game. It will happen if we instill a belief in the girls that they can be as successful as they want.”