One could probably guess that the Monday practice at Bancroft School in Worcester had plenty of elements one would notice at a typical early week hoops session – offensive drills, defensive drills, conditioning drills, sprints and a shootaround or two.
Another of those elements was not so typical – when former WNBA player and coach Taj McWilliams-Franklin spoke with students at Harrington theater. While her attire may have been more suitable for a business setting, per the Worcester Telegram, she made sure to come prepared with kicks for practice.
How can an athlete not have sneakers? Come on.
–Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Worcester Telegram)
McWilliams-Franklin is currently working within the NBA after a WNBA career that saw stops with the Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Detroit Shock, New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings (as a coach). She is a two-time champion and six-time All-Star plus won a gold medal at the FIBA World Championship in 1998 in Germany.
She talked about how many pathways were open to her thanks to the game. Her college career included playing for Georgia State and St. Edwards in Texas.
McWilliams-Franklin shared of how she was bullied in high school for being different and not being like the “cool” kids and she wants this generation of youngsters to see that as an asset instead of a liability.
We are all different on the outside; on the inside, we’re the same. That humanity sometimes gets overlooked for the differences that we see on the outside.
–Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Worcester Telegram)
She also shared experiences meeting NBA greats such as Shaquille O’Neal and Kemba Walker – and believes the greatest WNBA player of all time is Diana Taurasi.
One item that did concern McWilliams-Franklin is how young girls are deciding not to continue with sports.
The NBA and WNBA has a lot of programming with ‘Her Time to Play,’ to get girls to continue playing because sports adds such a great dimension, especially the self-confidence, the self-esteem. I’m a living example of that. You need that in the world.
–Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Worcester Telegram)
We have to figure it out to keep young girls in athletics.
–Taj McWilliams-Franklin (Worcester Telegram)
The WNBA is attempting to address this problem as well through its Game Growers initiative that gives eighth-grade girls the attributes needed to increase girls’ participation in sports. All 12 WNBA teams participated. Selected teams will present Game Growers ideas at the WNBA draft in New York City this April.
