Franklin Emerges As Leader

When she arrived at Harvard as a freshman, Crimson forward Shana Franklin brought an impressive resume to the table. Three conference championships during her career at New Trier Township High School outside Chicago, including titles in 2001 and 2002 when she captained the team. Five consecutive Illinois state titles with her AAU team. First-team All-State selection. Nike All-American.

“She could shoot, put it on the floor, and she was a very smart player,” recalls Crimson women’s basketball coach Kathy Delaney-Smith, who remembers watching Franklin as a high school player and recruiting her to Harvard. “She had everything.”

However, like most recruits, Franklin had to adjust to the greater intensity of play at the college level, as well as a different role on a new team. Gone was the pressure of night-to-night stardom, especially as Franklin arrived in time to play with both perennial All-Ivy players Hana Peljto ‘04 and Reka Cserny ‘05. But there arose a new pressure to adjust to: the faster, more aggressive style of play she found at Lavietes Pavilion.

“It’s definitely a little scary, it’s definitely a transition,” Franklin says. “The college game is quicker and stronger, and it takes some getting used to.”

As a freshman, Franklin played about five to 10 minutes a game, learning in practice from her more experienced upperclassman teammates. However, she pinpoints the end of her first season on the team as a turning point of sorts in her Harvard basketball career; at this point, she began to gain confidence on and off the court.

“By the end of freshman year, our whole class [on the team] felt like we were no longer freshmen,” Franklin says, “that we were just part of the team.”

By her junior season, Franklin had joined the Crimson’s starting rotation—and she’s a returning starter this year. But in averaging seven points and four rebounds per game this season, Franklin rarely receives as much attention as her higher-scoring teammates. Still, the box score doesn’t show the skills Franklin brings to the court and to the dynamic of a young and inexperienced team.

“It doesn’t always show in the stats, but I love her efforts,” Delaney-Smith says. “She’s doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. She’s the player our team looks to for poise and experience.”

It seems as though Franklin has adjusted pretty well. Known for her sharp shooting in clutch moments, the six-foot guard/forward solidified her status as a viable scoring option for Harvard last Saturday, scoring 16 points and leading the Crimson to a 77-65 victory at Penn. Still shaking off a tough 70-55 loss at Princeton the night before, Harvard came sluggishly out of the gate, shooting 38 percent from the field and 0-of-7 from three-point range in the first half.

“Penn was just hitting all their shots to begin with,” Franklin recalls. “But we always knew that we were the better team, and that we just had to play the way we knew how.”

Whatever the halftime message in the locker room, it seems Franklin took it almost personally to heart.

Sparked by Franklin, the Crimson turned it around after the break, shooting 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and 74 percent for the second half overall. After shooting only five free throws in the first half, the Harvard women made it to the line frequently in the second frame. The Crimson was similiarly on fire from the charity stripe, as Harvard buried 15 of 21 attempts from the line after the break. Franklin played a huge part in the team’s comeback, scoring 12 of her 16 points in the second half and nailing a clutch three-pointer early in the half to cut Penn’s lead to two. Five consecutive points down the stretch, including another huge three, iced the game for Harvard,

However, Franklin shrugs off her scoring role in the team’s victory, instead focusing on the small details that define leadership on a young team.

“I think of myself as a role player,” Franklin says. “I just try to do what the team needs me to do, and that isn’t necessarily always scoring. It’s scoring, grabbing rebounds, playing hard on defense.”

“Her outside shot has become an even more effective tool for us this season because of our strong inside game,” adds Maureen McCaffery, Crimson co-captain and Franklin’s classmate. “She just has a beautiful shot.”

But Franklin’s contributions to the team off the court prove just as important as her rebounding and clutch shooting. When asked what it means to her to be a senior on a team with a majority of underclassmen, Franklin thinks back to her own development as a college player.

“When I first started here, I had great older teammates that kind of helped me move into my own,” she says. “So as a senior, I hope I can do the same thing for the underclassmen.”

“Shana is always positive and has given so much to the program for four years,” McCaffery adds. “She’s one of the most influential leaders on the team.”

Coach Delaney-Smith marvels at Franklin’s dedication to Harvard basketball, referring to Franklin’s many other commitments, including writing a thesis and participating in community service.

“She’s the ultimate team player,” Delaney-Smith says, echoing McCaffery. “She’ll do anything for the team.”