A'Quonesia Franklin
Encyclopedia
A'Quonesia Krashun Franklin (born September 29, 1985 in Tyler, Texas
), also known as Aqua, is an assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball
team. She played two seasons in the WNBA. She was a three-year captain of the Texas A&M team from the 2005–06 to 2007–08 seasons. She received All-America
honorable mention honors from the Associated Press
two times, and has also received all-Big 12 honors.
in Tyler, Texas
, where she earned first team all-state, first team All-East Texas, and first team all-regional honors as a senior. She earned district MVP
honors both her junior and senior year. She was also named the East Texas MVP her senior years. As a senior, her team won the district championship and reached the regional semifinals. She averaged 12 points and three assists as a junior, and averaged 14.5 points and six assists as a senior. She played in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Texas-Oklahoma All-Star game. During the summer after her senior year, she won an AAU
championship with the Houston Elite team.
She chose to attend Texas A&M over Stephen F. Austin, West Virginia
, and UTEP.
as a point guard
. She was named Big 12 Rookie
of the Week for three weeks.
She received All-Big 12 honorable mention her sophomore season.
In her junior season, she helped the Aggies win the Big 12 Conference
regular season title, becoming a part of the first Texas A&M team to do so. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team after the regular season. She was also named Big 12 Player of the Week for two weeks. Her team received a No. 4 bid to play in the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament
. The team defeated Texas-Arlington
in the first round but lost to George Washington
in the second round. She received All-America
honorable mention honors by the Associated Press
after the tournament.
In her senior season, she made the All-Big 12 Second Team. The Aggies won the Big 12 Tournament
, and received an automatic bid to play in the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament
. She and her team were able to defeat 15th-seeded UTSA
in the first round, Hartford
in the second, and Duke in the Sweet Sixteen matchup. They advanced to the Elite Eight to play 7-time national champion Tennessee
, and lost 53–45. After the tournament, Franklin received honorable mention All-America
honors by the Associated Press
.
She would finish her A&M career with 627 assists
, ranking third all-time in A&M women's basketball history.
at No. 38 in the 2008 WNBA Draft
. In her rookie season, Franklin played in 34 games and averaged 1.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Her team fell to San Antonio in the first round of the 2008 WNBA Playoffs
. On March 20, 2009 the Phoenix Mercury
traded Barbara Farris
to the Sacramento Monarchs
for Franklin and Kim Smith
. On May 7, 2009 the Seattle Storm
signed Franklin to a training camp contract. On June 4, 2009 the Storm waived Franklin due to 11-woman roster cuts.
Franklin played for the Solna Vikings
in 2009.
.
She became an assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team in May 2011.
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
), also known as Aqua, is an assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball
Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball
The Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team represents the University of Kansas and competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.-History:Kansas first fielded a women's team during the 1968-1969 season...
team. She played two seasons in the WNBA. She was a three-year captain of the Texas A&M team from the 2005–06 to 2007–08 seasons. She received All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honorable mention honors from the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
two times, and has also received all-Big 12 honors.
Early years
Franklin attended John Tyler High SchoolJohn Tyler High School
John Tyler High School is a public, co-educational secondary school in Tyler, Texas. It is part of the Tyler Independent School District and serves 9th through 12th grade...
in Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
, where she earned first team all-state, first team All-East Texas, and first team all-regional honors as a senior. She earned district MVP
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
honors both her junior and senior year. She was also named the East Texas MVP her senior years. As a senior, her team won the district championship and reached the regional semifinals. She averaged 12 points and three assists as a junior, and averaged 14.5 points and six assists as a senior. She played in the Texas Girls Coaches Association Texas-Oklahoma All-Star game. During the summer after her senior year, she won an AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
championship with the Houston Elite team.
She chose to attend Texas A&M over Stephen F. Austin, West Virginia
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
, and UTEP.
College career
During her freshman season at Texas A&M, she was the only freshman in the Big 12 to startStarting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
as a point guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
. She was named Big 12 Rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
of the Week for three weeks.
She received All-Big 12 honorable mention her sophomore season.
In her junior season, she helped the Aggies win the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
regular season title, becoming a part of the first Texas A&M team to do so. She was named to the All-Big 12 First Team after the regular season. She was also named Big 12 Player of the Week for two weeks. Her team received a No. 4 bid to play in the 2007 NCAA Basketball Tournament
2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2007 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament began on March 17, 2007 and concluded on April 3 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Final Four consisted of Tennessee, LSU, Rutgers, and North Carolina, with Tennessee defeating Rutgers 59-46 for their seventh National Title...
. The team defeated Texas-Arlington
University of Texas at Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
in the first round but lost to George Washington
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in the second round. She received All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honorable mention honors by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
after the tournament.
In her senior season, she made the All-Big 12 Second Team. The Aggies won the Big 12 Tournament
2008 Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2008 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2008 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship, is the 2008 edition of the Big 12 Conference's championship tournament. The tournament was held at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri...
, and received an automatic bid to play in the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament
2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the 2007–08 national champion of women's NCAA Division I college basketball. It commenced on March 22, 2008, and concluded when the University of Tennessee Lady...
. She and her team were able to defeat 15th-seeded UTSA
UTSA Roadrunners
The UTSA Roadrunners is an athletic program that represent the University of Texas at San Antonio . The UTSA Roadrunners are also commonly referred to as "UTSA", Roadrunners,or simply as "Runners" . The Roadrunners compete in the NCAA Division I Southland Conference in 17 varsity sports...
in the first round, Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
in the second, and Duke in the Sweet Sixteen matchup. They advanced to the Elite Eight to play 7-time national champion Tennessee
Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition...
, and lost 53–45. After the tournament, Franklin received honorable mention All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
.
She would finish her A&M career with 627 assists
Assist (basketball)
In basketball, an assist is attributed to a player who passes the ball to a teammate in a way that leads to a score by field goal, meaning that he or she was "assisting" in the basket. There is some judgment involved in deciding whether a passer should be credited with an assist...
, ranking third all-time in A&M women's basketball history.
Professional career
Franklin was selected by the Sacramento MonarchsSacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...
at No. 38 in the 2008 WNBA Draft
2008 WNBA Draft
The 2008 WNBA Draft is the league's annual process for determining which teams receive the rights to negotiate with players entering the league. The draft was held on April 9, 2008....
. In her rookie season, Franklin played in 34 games and averaged 1.6 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Her team fell to San Antonio in the first round of the 2008 WNBA Playoffs
2008 WNBA Playoffs
The 2008 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason for the Women's National Basketball Association's 2008 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Detroit Shock defeating the Western Conference champion San Antonio Silver Stars 3-0.-Format:...
. On March 20, 2009 the Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Mercury
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises...
traded Barbara Farris
Barbara Farris
Barbara Farris, born September 10, 1976, was a basketball player for the Detroit Shock in the WNBA.On May 29, 2009 Farris signed with the Detroit Shock....
to the Sacramento Monarchs
Sacramento Monarchs
The Sacramento Monarchs were a basketball team based in Sacramento, California. They played in the Women's National Basketball Association from 1997 until folding on November 20, 2009...
for Franklin and Kim Smith
Kim Smith
Kimberly Katherine "Kim" Smith is an American fashion model and actress.-Career:Smith was born in Houston. A graduate of Permian High School in Odessa, Texas, she got her big break into modeling when she accompanied a friend to a Model Search of America contest...
. On May 7, 2009 the Seattle Storm
Seattle Storm
The Seattle Storm is a professional basketball team based in Seattle, Washington, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the 2000 season began...
signed Franklin to a training camp contract. On June 4, 2009 the Storm waived Franklin due to 11-woman roster cuts.
Franklin played for the Solna Vikings
Solna Vikings
Solna Vikings is a Swedish basketball team that currently plays in the highest Swedish division, Obol Basketball League. Solna Vikings was founded on 27 April 1999, when Solna IF announced that it would not continue playing. Solna Vikings Men won gold in 2003 and Women won in 2002, 2004 and 2006....
in 2009.
Coaching career
Franklin returned to Texas A&M to pursue her graduate education. She also served as a color analyst for the women's basketball team. She served as a graduate assistant for Aggies head coach Gary BlairGary Blair
Gary Claude Blair is the head coach of the Texas A&M Aggies women's basketball team. In his 26 years as a collegiate head coach, Blair has only suffered one losing season, and has reached postseason play 22 times, including 17 NCAA Tournament appearances, including 2 Final Four appearances in 1998...
.
She became an assistant coach for the Kansas Jayhawks women's basketball team in May 2011.