AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's University welcomed back, arguably, its most accomplished former athlete in school history Saturday afternoon. Taj McWilliams-Franklin was on hand at the Hilltopper Basketball doubleheader where her jersey was retired during halftime of the women's game versus Arkansas-Fort Smith. The celebration was part of Homecoming Weekend on the Hilltop.
Taj McWilliams Exclusive with Jeff Power
Taj McWilliams Interview on ESPN Austin 104.9 (2/10/12)
Growing up in Augusta, Georgia, a city with high poverty and unemployment rates, Taj was not exactly living in the land of opportunity. Determined to attend college, the six-foot, two-inch Taj never even touched a basketball until her sophomore year of high school, but studied hard with the dream of an academic scholarship. However, unexpected talent on the court and hard work brought her to the Hilltop with a full athletic scholarship. In return, she gave St. Edward's even more than anyone could have predicted.
Ceremony Video
Taj's ability to play the entire court made her a rare gem in NAIA women's basketball and provided the team with the best seasons in St. Edward's history. From 1991 to 1992, Taj helped lead the team to a 31-3 record, competing in the semifinals of the NAIA National Tournament and achieving a national ranking of fifth. The NAIA named her the 1992 Second-Team All-American and the 1993 KODAK All-American Player of the Year.
Professor John Knorr, who served as Director of Athletics while Taj was a student, says, “Taj had the skills to run the court like a guard, to pass, to shoot and to dominate inside. There was no better rebounder in our region.
Taj still holds a number of Hilltopper basketball records, earning: 1,837 career points, 760 points in a single season, a 24.5 single-season scoring average and a field goal percentage of .604.
David McKey was the head coach of the women's basketball team while Taj played for St. Edward's, and we are happy to have him back on the Hilltop with us tonight. He says, “When Taj came to St. Edward's, I knew that she was special. But, I had no idea just how phenomenal she would turn out to be. I feel blessed to have had the chance to coach her.
Off the court, Taj maintained rigorous study habits and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Writing and Rhetoric in 1993. Taj says, “When I got to St. Edward's, there was real humanity. They took care of their athletes not just with scholarship money, but in other ways.” Taj's upbeat attitude and great sense of humor made her loved by St. Edward's students, faculty and administrators. She was more than a phenomenal athlete, but a valuable member of the university community and family.
When it comes to academics, Coach McKey shared this with us, “With all of our girls, we stressed grades and success in their classes, because typically our athletes were not going to leave St. Edward's and have a professional sports career. Taj set a new mold for the girls to look up to and proved us all wrong.”
Following graduation, Taj turned her basketball abilities into a career. Without a professional basketball league for women in the United States, she went overseas and played on more than 10 teams. Taj began playing in the Women's National Basketball Association in 1998, and over the past 13 years has competed on seven different teams and appeared in six All-Star games. In 2011, she joined the Minnesota Lynx, leading the team to their first-ever appearance and win in the WNBA Finals, sweeping the Atlanta Dream. It was her second WNBA Title as a player.
Now, at the age of 41 “Mama Taj,” as she is known by her teammates, is still starting for the Lynx and plays overseas during the WNBA offseason. You may be asking yourself, with so much success, why Taj continues such a demanding schedule. She would reply, “Because I'm having fun. What else can I ask for?”
Consistent with the Holy Cross mission and values of St. Edward's, Taj has been a model of generosity and education advocacy. She has illustrated her commitment to life-long learning through involvement in the WNBA's “Read to Achieve” program, as well as her ability to speak German, Italian and Spanish.
In an interview with ESPN, Taj says, “I love helping players in all capacities. It's about women helping women, and I truly believe that.” This sentiment is also reflected in Taj's continued commitment to her alma mater and the Hilltoppers. Over the years, she has followed the St. Edward's women's basketball team and attends games whenever she visits Austin. In 1999, Taj returned to the Hilltop for Homecoming and was inducted into the St. Edward's University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Taj came to St. Edward's with a limitless amount of potential both athletically and academically. She continues to make our university proud as a shining example of achievement by working hard, believing in herself and leading with her heart.
McWilliams helped unveil a banner that will hang in the rafters of the Recreation and Convocation Center to show others to not give up on their dream.
She was also awarded the University's Alumni Achievement Award on Friday evening.
Born: Oct. 20, 1970 (El Paso, Texas)
Height: 6-2
Georgia State (1988-89) – NCAA Division I (Team Record: 12-16)
Year GP-GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. OR DR TR Avg. PF A TO BLK STL PTS Avg.
1988-89 25-13 60 136 .441 0 0 .000 25 59 .424 61 86 147 5.9 - 6 44 44 31 145 5.8
St. Edward's (1990-93) – NCAA Division II (Team Record: 89-8)
Year GP-GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. OR DR TR Avg. PF A TO BLK STL PTS Avg.
1990-91 31-31 184 322 .571 0 0 .000 47 93 .505 83 160 243 7.8 40 12 53 43 59 415 13.4
1991-92 32-32 278 485 .573 0 0 .000 106 176 .602 114 228 342 10.7 64 33 63 68 94 662 20.6
1992-93 31-31 336 521 .582 1 3 .333 85 146 .582 128 237 365 11.8 42 34 38 79 88 760 24.5
TOTALS 94-94 798 1328 .601 1 3 .333 238 415 .573 325 625 950 10.1 146 79 154 190 241 1837 19.5
Records Held:
Points-Game (50), Field Goals Made-Game (22), Blocks-Game (8), Points-Season (760), Scoring Average-Season (24.5), Field Goals Made-Season (336), Field Goals Attempted-Season (521), Blocks-Season (79), Points-Career (1837), Points Per Game-Career (19.5), Field Goals Made-Career (805), Field Goal Percentage-Career (.604), Rebounding Average-Career (10.1), Block-Career (190).
Awards:
1990-91: First-Team All-Conference; 1991-92: Second-Team All-America, National All-Tournament Team, First-Team All-District, District MVP, First-Team All-Conference; 1992-93: First-Team All-America, National Player of the Year, National All-Tournament Team, First-Team All-District, District MVP, First-Team All-Conference, Conference MVP.
Team Achievements:
1990-91: Heart of Texas Conference Champion, NAIA District IV Champions, National Quarterfinalist; 1991-92: Heart of Texas Conference Champions, National Semifinalist; 1992-93: Heart of Texas Champions, NAIA District IV Champions, National Quarterfinalist.
Richmond/Philadelphia Rage (1996-98) – American Basketball League (Drafted 40th Overall, 1996)
Year GP-GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. OR DR TR Avg. PF A TO BLK STL PTS Avg.
1996-97 (Rich) N/A
1997-98 (Phi.) N/A
1998 (Phi.) N/A
TOTALS N/A
Awards:
1996-97: Second-Team All-ABL.
Orlando Miracle/Connecticut Sun (1999-06), Los Angeles Sparks (2007), Washington Mystics/Detroit Shock (2008), Detroit Shock (2009), New York Liberty (2010), Minnesota Lynx (2011) – WNBA (Drafted 32th Overall, 1999 By Orlando)
Year GP-GS FGM FGA Pct. 3FGM 3FGA Pct. FTM FTA Pct. OR DR TR Avg. PF A TO BLK STL PTS Avg.
1999 (ORL) 32-32 153 319 .480 20 45 .444 94 141 .667 81 158 239 7.5 96 51 80 38 57 420 13.1
2000 (ORL) 32-32 173 330 .524 5 17 .294 87 122 .713 90 154 244 7.6 86 54 83 31 59 438 13.7
2001 (ORL) 32-32 157 331 .474 2 10 .200 87 117 .744 114 129 243 7.6 74 69 80 50 52 403 12.6
2002 (ORL) 13-12 41 82 .500 1 3 .333 27 31 .871 21 42 63 4.8 40 13 22 14 19 110 8.5
2003 (CON) 34-34 133 301 .442 12 43 .279 76 102 .745 78 149 227 6.7 103 49 54 33 43 354 10.4
2004 (CON) 34-34 168 352 .477 0 12 .000 77 128 .602 83 161 244 7.2 96 63 73 45 48 413 12.1
2005 (CON) 34-34 180 364 .495 4 18 .222 107 136 .787 78 170 248 7.3 80 65 59 25 37 471 13.9
2006 (CON) 32-32 164 329 .498 1 8 .125 81 110 .736 104 202 306 9.6 76 80 78 31 35 410 12.8
2007 (LA) 29-27 125 255 .490 3 13 .231 68 88 .773 69 101 170 5.9 75 49 50 30 34 321 11.1
2008 (WSH/DET) 33-33 174 344 .506 8 26 .308 66 85 .776 76 162 238 7.2 80 54 84 30 47 422 12.8
2009 (DET) 34-34 139 283 .491 3 15 .200 51 68 .750 65 160 225 6.6 86 98 66 16 33 332 9.8
2010 (NY) 34-34 140 274 .511 6 23 .261 76 92 .826 74 110 184 5.4 101 69 52 30 47 362 10.6
2011 (MIN) 34-33 116 261 .444 2 9 .222 47 61 .770 74 131 205 6.0 81 81 53 24 35 281 8.3
TOTALS 407-403 1863 3825 .487 67 242 .277 944 1281 .737 1007 1829 2836 7.0 1074 795 834 397 546 4737 11.6
Awards:
WNBA Champion (2008, 2011), WNBA All-Star (1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007), WNBA Player of the Week (6/13/05, 7/24/06, 8/7/06).
WNBA Superlatives:
11th All-Time Scoring (4,737), 16th All-Time Rebounding Average (7.0), 2nd All-Time Rebounds (2,836), 6th All-Time Field Goals Made (1,863), T-15th Free Throws Made (944), 6th All-Time Steals (546), 7th All-Time Blocks (397), 10th All-Time Minutes Per Game (31.1), 3rd All-Time Minutes Played (12,667).
Team Achievements:
2000: Eastern Conference Semifinalists; 2003: Eastern Conference Finalists; 2004: Eastern Conference Champions, WNBA Finalists; 2005: Eastern Conference Champions, WNBA Finalists; 2006: Eastern Conference Champions, Eastern Conference Finalists; 2008: Eastern Conference Champions, WNBA Champions; 2009: Eastern Conference Finalists; 2010: Eastern Conference Champions, Eastern Conference Finalists; 2011: Western Conference Champions, WNBA Champions.
Overseas Experience:
1993-94 Wolfenbuttel (Germany)
1994-95 Contern (Luxembourg)
1995-96 Gaililee (Israel)
1999-02 Famila Schio (Italy)
2003 Puig D'En Valls (Spain)
2004-05 Gambrinus Brno (Czech Republic)
2005 Lavezzini Parma (Italy)
2005 Shinhan Bank S-Birds (Korea)
2005 Dandenong Rangers (Australia)
2005-06 CB Halcon Viajes (Spain)
2006-07 Spartak Moscow Region (Russia)
2007 Shinhan Bank S-Birds (Korea)
2008-09 Galatasaray (Turkey)
2009 Famila Schio (Italy)
2009-10 Frisco Sika Brno (Czech Republic)
2011 Ros Casares (Spain)
2011 Spartak Moscow Region (Russia)
