AUSTIN, Texas – St. Edward's women's basketball celebrated its 50th season with the unveiling of its 50th Anniversary Team at halftime of the Hilltoppers' win over Oklahoma Christian: 
 

#34 Taj McWilliams-Franklin
Taj McWilliams-Franklin '93 is the greatest player in St. Edward's women's basketball history and the only member to have her jersey retired. She played at the Hilltop from 1990 through 1993, dominating the Heart of Texas Conference. McWilliams-Franklin earned All-Conference First Team honors all three seasons and won conference MVP in 1993. She was on the All-District First Team in 1992 and 93, winning District MVP in both seasons.
 
She is a two-time NAIA All-American, earning second-team honors in 1992 and first-team and National Player of the Year honors in 1993. Her Hilltoppers teams won three consecutive Heart of Texas regular-season titles. They qualified for the NAIA National Tournament all three seasons, anchoring the program's longest-sustained success at the national level. McWilliams-Franklin earned NAIA National All-Tournament Team honors in 1992 and 1993, leading the Hilltoppers to the 1992 Final Four. 
 
McWilliams-Franklin has the top two scoring games in program history, scoring 50 and 40 points, and two of the top five rebounding performances with 23 and 22, ranking third and fourth. She also posted a program-high eight blocks in a game. She is the program's all-time career leader in points (1,837), field goals made (805), field-goal percentage (.604), and rebounds per game (10.1). 
 
After college, McWilliams-Franklin enjoyed a distinguished professional basketball career overseas and in the WNBA. She won WNBA Championships with the Detroit Shock and Minnesota Lynx and earned six all-star appearances. She retired as the league's all-time leader in offensive rebounds, remaining fourth overall in league history. St. Edward's inducted her into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999.
 
#42 Rhonda Darling
Rhonda Darling '93 was a teammate of McWilliams-Franklin and a vital member of the "Fab Five" era of Hilltoppers Hoops that dominated the Heart of Texas Conference and NAIA District IV in the early 1990s.
 
Darling was the second All-American in program history, joining McWilliams-Franklin in 1993 with an Honorable Mention selection, Academic All-American, and All-District First Team. She was a two-time Heart of Texas All-Conference First Team selection. 
 
Her 1992-93 season was the eighth-highest scoring season in program history, with 479 points. Her 429 career field goals were the 10th most in program history. She converted at a .544 clip, which is the third-most efficient all-time. 
 
St. Edward's went 89-8, winning three conference titles, two District championships, and three NAIA Tournament berths, including a Final Four appearance in 1992. St. Edward's inducted her into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002. 
 
#35 Kendra Harrell
Kendra Harrell '99 joined Taj McWilliams-Franklin as the only other two-time All-American and Conference MVP in program history. She earned Honorable Mention in 1998 and 1999 and was an Academic All-American in 1998. In 1999, Harrell was the Heart of Texas MVP. 
 
Harrell was the Heart of Texas Freshman of the Year in 1996 and a three-time All-Conference First Team selection, leading the Hilltoppers to conference titles in 1997 and 1998 and the NAIA National Tournament in 1999. 
 
She remains the program's second-leading scorer with 1,685 career points, averaging 15.2 points per game for her career. She has the second-most field goals made (646) and supplemented her scoring with frequent trips to the free-throw line. Her 393 made free throws and 537 attempted are the most in school history. She was also a menace on defense, ranking fifth all-time in total rebounds (759), second in steals (227), and third in blocks (95). St. Edward's inducted her into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. 
 
#31 Nichole Stroup (Wiatrek)
Nichole Stroup (Wiatrek) '00 formed a potent one-two punch with Harrell as a two-way star for the final years of St. Edward's NAIA era and spectacular first season of the NCAA Division II era. The duo led the team to the NAIA National Tournament in 1999. 
 
Stroup was named to the All-Region Second Team in 2000, the program's first in the NCAA. She was also a two-time Heart of Texas All-Conference First Team selection in 1998 and 1999 and an All-Heartland Conference First Team selection in 2000. 
 
Her 535 points in 1999-00 and 467 in 1998-99 are the sixth and ninth-best scoring seasons in school history. She finished with 1,520 career points, ranking third all-time, scoring at a .524 field-goal percentage, ranking seventh. She ranks second to teammate Kendra Harrell for career free throws made (338) and attempted (493) and is fourth in career rebounds (779) and sixth in blocks (68). St. Edward's inducted her into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020. 
 
#13 Shakera Barnes
Shakera Barnes is the first NCAA All-American in program history, earning WBCA Honorable Mention honors for her 2017 senior season, averaging 13.9 points and 5.3 assists per game while leading the Hilltoppers to the Heartland Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament berth. 
 
A two-year transfer, Barnes was All-Heartland Second Team and Newcomer of the Year in 2016 and All-Heartland First Team in 2017, leading the conference in assists and finishing seventh in scoring. 
 
Her 154 and 142-assist seasons are the fourth and sixth most in program history, and her 5.1 assists per game average is the highest. In two seasons, she accumulated 296 career assists, ranking fifth all-time. She also averaged 13.8 points per game in her two years at the Hilltop, ranking 10th in program history. She played professionally in Australia with Hilltopper teammate Khiani Clark and joined her on the current coaching staff as a volunteer assistant to J.J. Riehl. 
 
Head Coach David McKey
In 10 seasons as head coach for the St. Edward's women's basketball team from 1985 to 1994, David Mckey led the Hilltoppers to eight consecutive winning seasons, including six conference championships and three NAIA National Tournament berths, making two NAIA Final Four appearances. 
 
McKey is a three-time NAIA District IV and Big State Conference Coach of the Year, and his 220-79 record and .736 win percentage are the best in program history. St. Edward's inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.