'That's irreplaceable.' Community kept boys basketball star Sean O'Leary in Franklin

MILFORD - Sean O'Leary took the road less traveled by staying home.

Franklin's reigning Hockomock boys basketball MVP was one of the state's most decorated players as a junior. He led the Panthers to a league title, a 19-2 season and the Division 1 Round of 16. His play for Franklin and the vaunted Middlesex Magic AAU team in the spring earned prep school overtures.

O'Leary pondered the possibility.

"I fiddled with the idea for a little bit," he said. "But, honestly, at the end of the day I knew deep down in my heart that I love Franklin, and I wanted to stay here."

Imagine that. A high school basketball player happy to play high school basketball for his town.

"It's weird, In high school now, it seems like any time someone has a good season as a freshman or sophomore everyone's asking if he's staying. With Sean, it was never a doubt he was staying," Panthers coach CJ Neely said.

His parents told Neely from the beginning they wanted to be in Franklin. The family developed a relationship with Neely and the program that transcended the transactional.

"It's fun to play for them day in and day out. Having the guys around us that are so committed to the game, I love being around them," said O'Leary, who will play at Bates next season. "I played with them my whole life, and even just the community of Franklin, we get so much support at our games. That's irreplaceable anywhere else. Playing at Franklin is a dream. I've always wanted to play there since fifth grade, so it's really important to me."

Franklin's focal point

But what is Franklin getting in O'Leary? The 6-4 forward averaged 20.3 points and eight rebounds per game last season with three assists.

"One of the nicest and most respected kids in the school. He's always the focus of another team coming in and helps get other guys the ball," Neely said. "Whether he has to bring it up against pressure, whether he's setting guys up with assists or doing the scoring for us, he just finds whatever we need."

On days he's not scoring or even in foul trouble, O'Leary leads the way from the bench or in the game's other facets. He's the first one up to cheer a strong pass and calls out defensive keys. he trusts that even if he's not having his best day, someone else will.

"He's a captain for a reason," Neely said. "He sets the example."

‘One of the best kids I've ever coached’ Franklin High hoop star earns top league award

With O'Leary unwavering and the rest of the Panthers around him, Franklin pounced on the 2023-24 season. The team is 12-1 and hasn't lost a game against in-state competition. Franklin's only blemish came against West Orange (Florida) in the KSA Holiday Tournament in Orlando during late December. The Panthers are ranked No. 7 in Division 1 and have maintained a position in the top 10 of the power rankings all year.

'AP Basketball'

They average 68.9 points per game with a balanced, flowing attack.

"I don't think we have a team you guys that you are out to get theirs. We want to win for Franklin. They don’t come down thinking we’ve got to have this guy score X amount of points. They just think Franklin has to score," Neely said. "We come down, and we grind really hard and get each other great shots. The guys are happy to pass it up."

Every Franklin game features a new wrinkle on offense or defense. The Panthers study film 40 minutes per day before practice. Those sessions aren't lectures, either.

"We have students of the game. We call it AP basketball," Neely said. "It's feedback, leaders and seniors and captains getting their two cents in. They're asking questions. It's a very active, two-way relationship."

Never good enough

Despite their current nine-game winning streak, the Panthers aren't satisfied. They have ambitions beyond last season's Sweet 16 trip where they, as the No. 3 seed, were upset by a physical No. 14 Brockton squad.

"We're never settling and saying, 'hey, this is good enough,'" Neely said.

Another Hock MVP: Franklin High soccer's 'security blanket' Rex Cinelli a class act

That's one of the big reasons O'Leary remained at Franklin. He wasn't gratified with the way last season ended and wanted to bring more to the community that gave him so much.

"We're off to a great start. We want to win a state championship," O'Leary said. "That was my goal coming in at Franklin High School. I want to win a state championship, and I think we can do it with these guys."

Contact Kyle Grabowski at kgrabowski@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @kylegrbwsk.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Franklin High boys basketball and Sean O'Leary are 'a dream' pairing