A Full Calendar

Women's Basketball, Oct 2004 by Clarkson, Jeff

Connecticut Sun veteran Taj McWilliams-Franklin is soaking in success on and off the court.

When the time comes for TaJ McWilliams-Franklin to hang up her basketball uniform for the last time, the multi-talented 33-year-old Women's National Basketball Association star will have plenty of options to keep her busy.

Meanwhile, the four-time WNBA All-Star is reaping the rewards of 11 years in pro basketball in the United States, the last six with the WNBA Orlando-Connecticut franchise, and in Europe.

Her decision to continue playing is made annually. Part of that involves where she will play between WNBA seasons.

"I usually make the decision in March or April," said McWilliams-Franklin. "I have a lot of offers to play overseas."

So far, the results of the process have been obvious to her teams, her opponents and fans around the world.

Off the court, McWilliams-Franklin and her husband, Army Sgt. Reginald Franklin, are kept busy raising their two daughters, R. Michelle, 16, and Maia (nearly 2).

McWilliams-Franklin, who would also like to pursue a writing carrer was named to the WNBA All-Star Team for a fourth time this year. Her appearance against the U.S. Olympic Team was her first since a two-year gap that coincided with Maia's pregnancy and birth. McWilliams-Franklin was named to three straight WNBA Eastern Conference All-Star squads from 1999-2001.

But the 2004 selection was a special one.

It showed how far I had come from the pregnancy," she said. "I worked hard to get back into shape. I'm not very big to be a center, but I'm smart and fast and have long arms (72'' wing-span."

With her commitments overseas, the 6'2'' McWilliams-Franklin plays the sport nearly year-round sans for about a month biatus.

"I play between 65 and 70 games a year with playoffs," she said.

McWilliams-Franklin lives in the United States only when she is playing for her WNBA team. When she's in Europe, she lives with Reginald in Italy in housing supplied by the military.

During the WNBA season, McWilliams-Franklin brings her children with her and leaves them in the care of a nanny during road trips, though she will occasionally bring one or both of them on the road.

"I take them on one or two trips per season," said McWilliams-Franklin. "One of the hardest things for me is when they look up and ask or seem to ask, 'Are you leaving me again?'"

McWilliams-Franklin has certainly come a long way from the Georgia girl who knew nothing about and never played the game until her sophomore year in high school.

College was always in her plans as the daughter of two parents in the military, but McWilliams-Franklin was going more for academics.

"When I was 15, a teacher (Lynn Brantley) told me if I learned to play basketball she could get me a scholarship and I wouldn't need a grant," said McWilliams-Franklin. "I learned how to play and came to love it."

McWilliams-Franklin, who can also speak German and Hebrew, played at Georgia State her first year, but struggled with her child psychology major and faced flunking out or transferring. She ended up moving on to St. Edward's College in Texas and tried to pursue the same major. But she ran into trouble again and decided to switch majors to English writing and rhetoric.

"I transferred to St. Edward's to be closer to my mother," she said. "I chose my major because I loved to read."

McWilliams-Franklin went on to be named the NAIA Player of the Year her senior season.

And she has kept that writing interest alive by doing some freelance work. She's also currently writing a book.

"I'm writing about a little-known boxing manager I know," said McWilliams-Franklin, who is also interested in computers.

But regardless of the upcoming life decisions she will be making, McWilliams-Franklin is having a blast.

"I enjoy everything I do," she said.