Player Profile: Stephen 'Franchise' Presley
by Skip 'Skizip' Hobbie
If you are member of the UPA, you may have recognized a familiar face when you opened your mailbox this week. Austin's own boy wonder of friz, Stephen "Franchise" Presley has found his way onto the cover of this spring's USA Ultimate Magazine, published by the UPA. To anyone that has played with or against Stevie, this may come as no surprise, but for those of you Austinites who haven't been lucky enough to share a field with him, this player profile in our inaugural newsletter will hopefully help you get to know him better.
When Stevie first showed up at a UT Men's practice in the fall of 2004, he was just another freshman... at least until he stepped on the field. At 5 foot 8, Franchise carries a big smile, golden curls on his head, and is not in the least what you would describe as physically imposing. In no time at all though, it was clear that TUFF (the UT Men's A team) had picked up a very special player.
The first thing you'll notice about him as a player is his quickness. "He's too quick," says teammate Stephen Darroh, "As I am thinking 'alright, step out and shut off this flick,' he's already broken me with his backhand." Michael "Tank" Natenberg, one of the UT coaches, also played with Stevie in '05 on the college team and for 4 seasons on Doublewide at the club level, and says he [Natenberg] has even improved his own play by watching Presley. "The biggest thing I've learned from Stevie is the quickness with which he releases his throws and moves the disc to the break side." TUFF's other coach Calvin Lin added, that Presley's style has gradually changed the whole way their offense plays, at times even to the detriment to the team. "A lot of the other guys think that's how you are supposed to play. They try to play as fast as he does, and you can't. It's almost impossible. So that's something we are going to have to remind the guys," Lin says laughing.
By the spring of Presley's freshman year he was starting on both O and D lines for Texas, and would finish the season as a unanimous 2005 Freshman of the Year in the South Region. He would go on to be voted to the 7 player All Region team in '06, '07, and '08, with the honor almost undoubtedly assured again this season. To add to that, last year he finished 5th in the voting for the Callahan Award, college ultimate's most prestigious honor, and the 4 players who finished ahead of him all graduated or ran out of eligibility. When asked if this weighed on his mind during his final season, Presley sheepishly replied "I don't know. I try not to think about it, but its hard when there are people all around you talking about it. I try not to let it affect me or my teammates as best as I can."
This isn't him being shy when interviewed. His humble character is something you can't help but notice and love about this kid. "For [Stevie], its all about the team," says Darroh. Coach Lin commented that "when your best player is your hardest working player, everybody [else] works hard." Other ways his teammates and coaches described his personality are "modest" "genuine" "fun" "friendly," and perhaps most important for an ultimate player "spirited." TUFF captain Matt "Soup" Campbell even observed that Stevie's humble nature might be his only weakness as a player. "He doesn't want to be in the spotlight, but if you embrace that, sometimes you can make the next step as an athlete."
For Stephen Presley, there is only one next step on his mind. Regionals. With it comes one more shot to make it to the UPA College Championships, something with which he is very familiar. In his 4 previous seasons, Texas has won the region and gone to the Championships every time. In fact, since Presley joined the team in '05, Texas has not lost a single game at regionals, a streak they hope to continue in Little Rock this year. Coming off wins against rivals UNT and Texas A&M at sectionals, Presley says "It's going to take that much more work... We just gotta prepare because those guys are going to be gunning for us even more."
Beyond the college season, there is only graduation and the hope of finding a job that will put his Health Promotion and Fitness degree to work for him and keep him in Austin.
When asked to describe himself on the rare occassions he doesn't have a disc in his hands, Presley says "I like to be active, whether its frisbee, or just riding my bike around. I like to be outside a lot, and work the UT outdoor center. ... Through my major I've sparked an interest in working with younger kids. Trying to get them to be active and stuff, just how I like to be." He also hopes to continue to be involved with the Youth Ultimate camps he has worked at the past 3 years. "Its progressing and if Austin can keep up what they are doing with the youth programs, it will be great for ultimate in the state of Texas in general, for UT ultimate, and just make college ultimate that much better."
So if you are out at Club Centex this weekend or are playing in the leagues and you run into a guy with boyish good looks and a backhand that can't be stopped, take the time to give him a pat on the back and congratulate him on 5 epic seasons playing for our local college team.
