Feature: MBK | Miles of Growth and the Keys to Columbia
1/7/2026 3:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Raised on early-morning gym sessions with his dad, a former D1 basketball player, and piano lessons from age four, Franklin brings both discipline and artistry to Columbia, navigating a tough recruiting journey, a new coaching staff, and the pressure of being a first-year starter in Morningside Heights
Late nights in Morningside Heights. The campus hum has faded, and the dorm hallways sit mostly still, and a familiar song gradually gets louder.
Inside, Miles Franklin (19), a first-year guard at Columbia, sits at his keyboard, naturally gliding the ivory keys with confidence as he plays "I Want You Back" by Michael Jackson, a skill his parents began nurturing when they sat him at a piano at age four, long before he became a three-time men's basketball Ivy League Rookie of the Week.
"I learn songs pretty fast," said Franklin. "I learn them by ear. I can read sheet music and all that. It's not too hard, but I don't have a lot of time from basketball and everything else."
The melody fills the small space, a refuge from the demanding rhythm of Division I basketball. In front of him, the wall is its own story, a "Happy Graduation" banner pinned above a collage of photos, a mosaic of the people, moments, and memories that shaped him.
"His piano teacher and I used to joke. We used to call him 'grandpa' because he was like an old soul in like a boy's lanky body," said his mother, Marina Franklin.
The "old soul" is making a new impact, using piano to regroup, process, and stay grounded during his first semester of college life. Marina made sure he had a keyboard in his dorm for exactly this reason. She knows her son. Beneath the explosive athleticism is a young man who needs a moment to unwind.
The 6 a.m. Blueprint
In Franklin's first season, he scored double figures in four of his first five games in November. He recorded five steals against Longwood and grabbed seven rebounds at Stony Brook while averaging 4.1 assists per game. He's shooting 44.1% from the field and averaging 9.7 points per game while logging 23.4 minutes as a regular starter.
Franklin broke through with a career-high 19 points at North Florida, reaching double figures in seven of 13 games, and his five-steal night vs. Longwood was the program's best since November 2023.
Before Franklin was draining mid-range jumpers each game, before he was hopping through the paint to seal a 72-70 victory over Hofstra with 20 seconds left, he was in a Vienna, Virginia gym at six in the morning with his father.
"When I was younger, I wasn't as good at basketball so to get good I had to be in the gym a lot in the mornings before school and all that after school," said Franklin. "I think it [discipline] came from that, me working out with my dad."
In the late 1990s, Dereck Franklin played two years at Boston University before transferring to George Mason. He understands the peaks and valleys of college basketball and what it takes to survive the grind.
"I'm hard on him, so a coach doesn't have to be," said Dereck. "Because a coach will be very hard on him at some point in time."
The early-morning sessions built a foundation that carried Miles through recruitment uncertainty, coaching changes, and the adjustment to Ivy League basketball.
"He really loved fast ball," Dereck said. "The first thing I ever saw him work on constantly was dunking. I'd see him outside the house trying to dunk different things, making videos of his progress. I really saw his work ethic come to fruition when he was a junior."
The father-son one-on-one games became legendary. Miles never beat his dad, but there was a moment when Dereck knew the tide had turned. Miles was 17 when he drove to the basket and caught his father square in the chest.
"I was like, 'Man, that hurt,'" said Dereck. "I didn't want to do this anymore. He was too quick, too fast, jumped too high."
They stopped playing after that. Dereck had seen enough. His son was ready.
The Foundation at Home
Marina Franklin talks to her son before every game. It's become a superstition born from one missed phone call before a tough performance.
"I actually texted him this morning," Marina said before a recent game. "I was like, 'All right, call me when you're done with your homework.'"
A former tennis player from Ukraine, Marina understands the athletic grind and emphasizes rest and balance.
"The biggest way to rehabilitate anything that's injured, the best way to get your mind ready, the best way to get your body ready for the next day is sleep," she said.
Miles is learning that lesson now as a Political Science major, balancing academics with basketball.
"My mom has always been on me about it," said Franklin. "She still is. I'm just making sure I get my work done while living in the gym."
At home in Vienna, siblings Tristan (16), Elliott (13), and Amelia (11) watch every game. Each wears his number — first 11, now 24 — chasing the standard he set.
"It's good to see them try to surpass my standard," Franklin said. "I'm excited to see what they do."
The Turning Point
At 15, Franklin realized he wasn't good enough — and decided to change that.
In 2023, he transferred from James Madison High School to St. Andrew's Episcopal School in Potomac, Maryland, reclassifying to face older competition and find the right environment.
"He was a 4.0 kid," said St. Andrew's coach Kevin Jones. "He was taking four AP courses. He plays the piano as well as he plays basketball."
Franklin was named MVP of the Junior Orange Bowl Classic, battling through an ankle injury to lead his team to a championship.
"What you're seeing now is what we saw," Jones said. "Imagine him getting 12 more shots. Being the dude."
The Phone Call
Kevin Hovde first called Franklin while preparing Florida for its Sweet 16 matchup during the Gators' 2025 national championship run. That same week, Hovde was named Columbia's head coach.
"This is how we run our program," Hovde told Franklin. "We care about attitude, work ethic, and competing."
"When I came on campus, I just knew this is where I wanted to be," said Franklin.
Franklin stayed committed, becoming the foundation of Hovde's first season — a 9–1 start, the best by a Columbia coach since 1950.
The Brotherhood
Freshman Connor Igoe arrived with Franklin, and the two are inseparable.
"Miles is unapologetically himself and the best teammate you could ask for," said Igoe.
"I'm very energetic," Franklin said with a smile. "Very loud. Be ready to be annoyed."
The Standard
"I decided to come to Columbia for the team culture," said Franklin. "I was born in New York, so it's good to come back and get a great education."
His goals are simple: win games, make the Ivy Tournament, defend better, and keep improving.
"If you want to get somewhere, you really have to put in the work," Franklin said. "Be disciplined, and you will get there."
