InTouch with Southern Kentucky March 2020 | Page 7

Retired Legendary Basketball
Coach Dave Fraley looks over a
large family of Pulaski County
coaches and basketball players
BY STEVE CORNELIUS
COMMONWEALTH JOURNAL
W
etball
M arch 2020
hen a young Dave
Fraley came to
Pulaski County High
School in 1977, as
the Maroons new
boys basketball coach, he was just
wanting to win a few games and
have some success. Very quickly
in his coaching career at Pulaski
County, Fraley was winning a lot
of games and having unparalleled
success.
After a 1986 state championship
crown at Pulaski County, four
regional crowns at Pulaski County,
one regional crown at Powell Coun-
ty and a regional crown at Knott
County Central, and 702 career wins
ranking him ninth in the state
in all-time wins, the legend-
ary coach finally decided
to retire from coaching.
But he has not retired
from the game!
With his son John
Fraley the head basketball
coach at Pulaski County
High School, his eldest son
Shannon as an assistant coach at
Pulaski County, his eldest grandson
a star point guard on the Pulaski
County basketball team and four
other grandsons working their way
up through the Pulaski County
youth leagues, Dave Fraley now
finds himself in the Pulaski County
High School basketball gym more
than ever.
“When I first came here to Pulaski
County High School I was just trying
survive, win some games, be a suc-
cessful coach, and raise my kids,”
Dave Fraley admitted. “And as life
has evolved, all my kids like basket-
ball and they have made that their
life. That’s what they chose to do, I
certainly didn’t choose it for them,
and I don’t make them stay.”
“Hour for hour since 1977, the
hours I have spent in this (Pulaski
County) gym is immeasurable, and
I don’t regret that because Pulaski
County is my life and it has been
real good to me and I feel like I have
been good for Pulaski,” Fraley said
with a grin. “ I am happy for the way
it has turned out, I am happy for my
kids being here coaching, Colton
is having a good senior year. And
the favorite time in Kentucky is just
getting ready to start and that is
tournament time.”
We Are Family
On any given practice or game,
the entire clan of eight Fraley bas-
ketball players and coaches will be
in attendance in support of the
Maroons basketball pro-
gram. Most practices are
conducted by a commit-
tee of coaches made up
of Dave, John and Shan-
non Fraley, as Colton
Fraley takes instructions
as a Maroons’ basketball
player. Four other Dave Fra-
ley grandchildren - Foster, Blake,
Carson and Camden - serve as team
managers and will usually get in
more shots on the side goals as the
actual high school players probably
do.
For Maroons head basketball
coach John Fraley, the unique fami-
ly support he receives everyday has
been a blessing and an advantage.
“Having my entire family around
me for every game and every prac-
tice is unbelievable and no doubt
been a big part of our success,”
John Fraley admitted. “I can’t have
a better resource than my dad.”
I n T ouch with S outhern K entucky • 7