Pacers alum is set for first challenge

AIKEN - Steve Franklin has done this before. Just not in his hometown for his alma mater.

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Franklin will coach his first game tonight as USC Aiken's interim basketball coach when the Pacers open Peach Belt Conference play against USC Upstate at 7:30 at the Courthouse. The women's game starts at 5:30.

"USC Upstate will be a big challenge for us," said Franklin, who went 18-12 as interim coach at Santa Fe Community College (Fla.) in 1998-99. "But we've been working hard. We have to play hard for 40 minutes."

The Pacers (4-6) are playing their first game since eight-year head coach Mike Roberts stepped down last week. USC Aiken began the season 3-0 before losing six of its next seven.

Roberts said he thought of resigning while driving the team bus back from Savannah, Ga., on Dec. 18, after the Pacers lost games to Savannah College of Art & Design and Lenoir-Rhyne.

"I felt with the people we had in here we needed a change in leadership," Roberts said. "I think it was in the best interest of the basketball team."

The 35-year-old Franklin, an Aiken native who graduated from South Aiken High School and USC Aiken, led the Pacers to their only Peach Belt regular season and tournament titles in 1992-93. He then spent five years at Santa Fe as the school's assistant coach. He returned to USC Aiken in the same position in 1999.

"I think Steve is more than ready to coach a team," Roberts said. "He's at the point where he's able to take over and prove the quality of the team we had in place."

Franklin's debut will be against a USC Upstate team (8-3) that leads the conference in steals and turnover margin.

With 16 regular-season conference games and at least one tournament game to coach, Franklin hopes to use the next two months to his advantage - before the school begins searching for a new coach in March.

"It's an opportunity," he said. "As a coach, I'm going to take it game by game. We'll see what happens at the end of the season"

Meanwhile, Roberts said he's unsure of the near future, except that he will stay involved with USC Aiken's athletic programs. He did, however, leave open the possibility of coaching basketball in the future.

"I really have considered myself nothing more than a high school basketball coach anyway," he said. "When you do things for the right reasons, things always work out for the best."

 •  Augusta State will play host to UNC Pembroke tonight in the teams' conference openers at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The women's game begins at 5:30 and the men's game follows at 7:30.

The Jaguars (7-4), who are 4-0 at home this season, are coming off their most impressive win of the season, an 82-63 victory against No. 16 West Georgia on Sunday.

"We were picked ninth in the (preseason coaches) conference poll," junior guard Jason Mills said.

"I think we can finish in the top four."

The Lady Jaguars are 6-5 after losing their past three games. UNC Pembroke (8-3) sports the league's best field-goal shooting (.429) and three-point shooting (.314) team.

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.