Fowler, Franklin to Lead Lady Mustangs’ Basketball
Lady Mustang Basketball has a decorated and proud history across our state. Our program is known for talent, hard work and good sportsmanship in victory and defeat. I am proud of the incredible legacy our girls have built and carry forward with them today.
I am excited to announce that we have found the next outstanding leader of Lady Mustang Basketball. Coach Stan Fowler will take over our storied program this fall, and he will bring more than 29 years of coaching experience and an incredible list of coaching achievements to Mustang Mountain.
During the search process, Coach Fowler’s success on the court, his ability to teach the game, and his ability to connect with players made him the obvious choice to lead our girls’ basketball program. I know he will inspire excellence in our athletes both on and off the court. We are tremendously blessed to have a leader of Coach Fowler’s stature leading our program.
Coach Fowler has served the past 12 years as the varsity girls coach at Batesville High School, where he led his team to the 2019 State Championship with an overall record of 30-3. The same year he was named the All-Arkansas Preps Coach of the Year, which recognizes the top coach across all sports, all classifications and both genders. He was also named All-Arkansas Preps Girls Coach of the Year, the Arkansas High School Coaches Association Outstanding Coach of the Year, and the Arkansas Basketball Association Overall Coach of the Year. In addition, he won the Lowell Manning Award in 2019, which is voted on by all Arkansas high school coaches across all sports. Coach Fowler has won many other awards in his outstanding career. Across his 29 seasons coaching girls’ basketball, Coach Fowler has compiled a 614-340 career record.
“I love coaching and that adrenaline rush you get at tip-off,” Coach Fowler said. “With every team, you always have to look at the kind of players you have, but I like to run and gun. We are going to be up and down the floor. We will be an exciting team to watch.”
His accomplishments are not limited to the court. Coach Fowler is also an excellent educator, teaching honors and AP US History for Batesville. For his many classroom accomplishments, Coach Fowler was named the 2019 Batesville High School Teacher of the Year and the Batesville School District Teacher of the Year. Over the past two years, an incredible 98% of his AP US students have passed the AP exam.
“I think it’s important to have coaches in the classroom so the students know that you care about how they’re progressing academically and not just physically,” Coach Fowler said. “The deep relationships that I build with students are important to what I do in the classroom and on the court. They see my faith spill over into how I teach them and how I coach them, and that builds a trust that truly makes a difference.”
Coach Fowler and his wife, Tina, have been married for 38 years. Tina will join him this fall as our new 4th grade teacher at the Mustang Mountain Elementary campus. Together they have four children, including two who live here in central Arkansas.
Joining Coach Fowler courtside this year will be new Lady Mustangs’ Basketball assistant coach Jaylen Franklin. Coach Franklin will join CAC from Abilene, Texas, where he has served as an assistant women’s basketball coach at McMurry University for the past three seasons.
Coach Franklin has a wealth of experience on the court. He was a standout high school basketball player for Parkview High School, where his team won two Arkansas State Championships. Franklin played his college career at point guard for NCAA Division 1 Abilene Christian University. During his playing years, Coach Franklin earned numerous awards, including Southland Conference Freshman of the Year, multiple First- and Second-Team all-conference honors and was a two-time Southland Conference All-Defensive Team honoree.
In 2019, Coach Franklin helped lead ACU to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Men’s Tournament. He is second on ACU’s all-time scoring list and owns the school record for most career assists. After his college days, Coach Franklin played European basketball for Tbilisi in the Republic Georgia. In addition to McMurry, Coach Franklin served as an assistant men’s basketball coach at his alma mater. He said he is excited to return to central Arkansas and live close to his family, especially his 3-year-old daughter Aubrey.
“I appreciate CAC’s strong Christian foundation and its focus on both academic excellence and character development,” Coach Franklin said. “I value the opportunity to contribute to a community that is intentional about shaping students’ faith and future.”
The CAC administration is excited to continue the tremendous legacy of the women’s basketball program by providing the best experience for our Lady Mustangs players and families. Being part of a team is not just a matter of X’s and O’s; as our mission says, we want each student to be inspired to pursue excellence, independence and a transforming faith in God. We are confident that Coach Fowler and Coach Franklin are ready to meet this moment with our basketball student athletes and their families.
The future of the Lady Mustangs program is in great hands.
Hayden Cruce
Athletic Director