COLLEGE STATION- The first two-time All-American in Texas A&M women's basketball program history, A'Quonesia Franklin '08, is one of seven athletes selected to the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
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A member of Coach Gary Blair's first full recruiting class in Aggieland, Franklin was one of five freshmen whose commitment changed the direction of the Texas A&M women's basketball program. Over the course of her career, the Aggies posted a 93-39 record, marking the most wins in any four-year period to that point. She led Texas A&M to the first three NCAA Tournament appearances in their still-active streak of 13 straight trips to the Big Dance, and to Big 12 titles in 2007 and 2008.
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"A'Quonesia was a natural leader, who believed in Texas A&M and helped turned the tide of the program," said Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair. "I am so proud of her because she is a self-made player. She showed that it doesn't matter if you are 5-3 or 6-3, if you have the skill set, the work ethic and the heart of an Aggie, you can become a Hall of Famer."
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Franklin ranks third in school history with 157 3-pointers and fourth with 627 career assists. She scored 1,115 points, which ranks 20th in school history, and nabbed 209 steals, which rank ninth all-time. In all four of her seasons, she led the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio
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As a senior in 2007-08, she earned All-America honors, helping the Aggies win the Big 12 Tournament and reach the Elite Eight for the first time in program history and a 29-8 record, the second-highest win total in school history, behind only the 2011 squad. She earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors after ranking 14th nationally with a 2.01 assist-to-turnover ratio and was named to both the NCAA Oklahoma City Regional All-Tournament team and All-Big 12 Tournament team.
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She earned All-America and All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2007, helping the Aggies to their first Big 12 Championship and a 25-7 record. She was a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week, and was named the team's Most Valuable Player.
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She was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention pick in 2005-06, helping the Aggies return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, and was a three-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week in 2004-05.
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Franklin was a third round pick of the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2008 WNBA Draft, and played two seasons in the WNBA. She has since started a coaching career, where she is now the associate head coach at Kansas.
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Joining Franklin in the Class of 2018 are Bronson Burgoon '09 from men's golf, Kip Corrington '87 from football, Laura Jones Hahn-Conti '06 from volleyball, Claude Riley, Jr. '84 from men's basketball, Kati Jo Spisak '06 from soccer, and George Woodard '79 from football. Steve Stevens '62 is the Hall of Honor inductee and David Heath '76 is the Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
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The organization's 41st annual Burgess Banquet will be held Friday, Sept. 14 in the Hall of Champions on the west side of Kyle Field, and the event is open to the general public.
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A reception begins at 6 p.m. with dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Event sponsorship opportunities and individual tickets are still available by calling the Lettermen's Association (979-846-3024) or at 12thman.com/burgessbanquet.
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A member of Coach Gary Blair's first full recruiting class in Aggieland, Franklin was one of five freshmen whose commitment changed the direction of the Texas A&M women's basketball program. Over the course of her career, the Aggies posted a 93-39 record, marking the most wins in any four-year period to that point. She led Texas A&M to the first three NCAA Tournament appearances in their still-active streak of 13 straight trips to the Big Dance, and to Big 12 titles in 2007 and 2008.
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"A'Quonesia was a natural leader, who believed in Texas A&M and helped turned the tide of the program," said Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair. "I am so proud of her because she is a self-made player. She showed that it doesn't matter if you are 5-3 or 6-3, if you have the skill set, the work ethic and the heart of an Aggie, you can become a Hall of Famer."
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Franklin ranks third in school history with 157 3-pointers and fourth with 627 career assists. She scored 1,115 points, which ranks 20th in school history, and nabbed 209 steals, which rank ninth all-time. In all four of her seasons, she led the Big 12 in assist-to-turnover ratio
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As a senior in 2007-08, she earned All-America honors, helping the Aggies win the Big 12 Tournament and reach the Elite Eight for the first time in program history and a 29-8 record, the second-highest win total in school history, behind only the 2011 squad. She earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors after ranking 14th nationally with a 2.01 assist-to-turnover ratio and was named to both the NCAA Oklahoma City Regional All-Tournament team and All-Big 12 Tournament team.
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She earned All-America and All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2007, helping the Aggies to their first Big 12 Championship and a 25-7 record. She was a two-time Big 12 Player of the Week, and was named the team's Most Valuable Player.
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She was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention pick in 2005-06, helping the Aggies return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade, and was a three-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week in 2004-05.
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Franklin was a third round pick of the Sacramento Monarchs in the 2008 WNBA Draft, and played two seasons in the WNBA. She has since started a coaching career, where she is now the associate head coach at Kansas.
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Joining Franklin in the Class of 2018 are Bronson Burgoon '09 from men's golf, Kip Corrington '87 from football, Laura Jones Hahn-Conti '06 from volleyball, Claude Riley, Jr. '84 from men's basketball, Kati Jo Spisak '06 from soccer, and George Woodard '79 from football. Steve Stevens '62 is the Hall of Honor inductee and David Heath '76 is the Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
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The organization's 41st annual Burgess Banquet will be held Friday, Sept. 14 in the Hall of Champions on the west side of Kyle Field, and the event is open to the general public.
Â
A reception begins at 6 p.m. with dinner beginning at 7 p.m. Event sponsorship opportunities and individual tickets are still available by calling the Lettermen's Association (979-846-3024) or at 12thman.com/burgessbanquet.