He was supposed to have arrived in Frankfurt on Tuesday, but he sprained his ankle in the last team practice, he will most likely miss three to four weeks. 28-year old 1.86 m American guard Trent Whiting was signed for insurance. Coach Didin knows his game from the Italian league. Didin has decided that Whiting will not play at first. "I don´t want to integrate a new player into the team that may have to go after three weeks, when Franklin is healthy. This would be bad for the team harmony."
"The search for temporary Tyrone Ellis replacement was long-winded, since few players were available who could meet the high standards that we had set. We were looking for a hard working team player who could play at a constant level and who could be competitive, humanly proper and be a role model for our young players. He also had to fit our financial conditions", says manager Gunnar Wöbke.
"As Franklin was available after the play-off loss, he became our first choice. He fits best to us, better than any other candidate, including all CBA players that were on our list. He is a reliable outside-shooter, defender and passer. As Chris Williams described Franklin, he is also humanly the right choice for us. Since he is an experienced player, we await that he leads the young players and is a role model. The fact, that he injured himself in the last training session before his departure, is a situation we have to live with. I am sure that our team is strong enough to be successful in the next weeks."
"This is an unlucky situation. However, we need to make the best out of the situation and give a good answer on Sunday against Karlsruhe", said Didin.
Kavossy Franklin stats:
Born: July 17, 1975 in Houston, Texas
Height: 1.88 m
Weight: 85 kg
Season statistics (Hunter Pirates): 20.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals, 2.3 turnovers, 47.6 field-goal percentage, 39.6 three-point percentage, 73.8 free throw percentage
Teams: Augusta State College (USA champion 98, 99), Black Hills Gold (IBA), Washington Congressionals (USBL), Mulhouse (France, 2001-2002), Adirondack Wildcats (USBL, 2002), Sydney Kings (Australia, 2002-2004), Hunter Pirates (Australie, 2004-2005)
