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ALMA MATER
In the Mississippi Valley,
In the Crescent Bend
Stands our loved and noble Xavier,
Far her praises send.
Refrain:
Wave her colors bear them onward
Gold and white so true
Hail to thee, all hail, dear Xavier
Hail, all hail, X.U.!
Xavier, ever be our guide
And lead us on the way,
Through life's journey, onward, upward
To the eternal day. (Refrain)
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Franklin flourishes after Xavier gives her a second chance
January 3, 2013
NEW ORLEANS — SiMon Franklin, Xavier University of Louisiana's
talented women's basketball guard, knows plenty about disappointment and coming back stronger.
In 2010, low grades disqualified her from registering for XU's
second summer session. She appealed to the university and lost and was not readmitted
until January 2011 after winning a second appeal.
"It was very humbling for me," said Franklin, now a fifth-year XU
senior and a graduate of St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge, La. "I thought, wow — is
this really happening to me?"
But look at Franklin now. She changed majors — it's
business management after many struggles in chemistry/pre-pharmacy — and has excelled.
Since XU readmitted her, Franklin has passed 78 hours with a 3.5 GPA on a 4-point scale.
Franklin's 3.67 GPA in 2011-12 qualifed her for the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Honor Roll.
She produced the highest GPA on her team in 2011-12 and tied for seventh among Xavier's 73 student-athletes.
Best of all, she's on course to receive a bachelor’s degree from Xavier on May 11.
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SiMon Franklin: "I had to take ownership for what I had done. I had to own
up for it and get focused on what I’ve done and what needed to be done. All of
this brought me closer to God. When I trust in Him, that is when I succeed. I
am nothing without God."
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"That's what I respect about Monee Franklin," XU head
coach Bo Browder said. "She got knocked down, but she got up fighting."
Franklin said determination and faith in God were the
keys to her comeback.
"I had to take ownership for what I had done," she said.
"I had to own up for it and get focused on what I've done and what needed to be
done. All of this brought me closer to God. When I trust in Him, that is when
I succeed. I am nothing without God."
Franklin was ineligible to play for the Gold Nuggets in
2010-11 after starting her first two seasons for teams which were a combined
51-15, but last season she picked up where she left off. Franklin led the
Nuggets with 10 points per game and 74 made free throws and was second with
70 steals. She was All-GCAC and chosen MVP of the GCAC Tournament, which
Xavier won for the third consecutive year. The Gold Nuggets finished 26-9
after reaching the second round of the NAIA Division I National Championship.
Through the first 12 games this season — Xavier is
10-2 and ranked ninth in NAIA D-I — Franklin leads the Nuggets with 9.5 points
per game. She had career highs of 25 points and nine rebounds Saturday in a
66-64 loss to NAIA No. 24 Faulkner in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Montgomery, Ala. —
that helped her earn her first GCAC Player of the Week award — but Franklin
isn't shooting for those numbers every game.
"I just want to be a solid player," said Franklin, who needs
70 points to become the 19th XU woman to reach 1,000 in a career. "I want to be
able to contribute on offense and defense. I want to be a great team player and
bring energy to the floor. We have a very talented team. It could be anyone's
night (to score 25)."
Franklin is the team's only senior and the captain.
"Monee leads by example," Browder said. "She communicates
very well, but she leads by example even better. She's the hardest worker on the
team, and that's what you want from your captain."
Said Franklin, "To be a team captain, you have to have
great preparation and be able to communicate to a group of people. You have to
be able to motivate people and create an atmosphere where people are excited to
work together. I'm blessed to have this opportunity. It's definitely great
preparation for the real world. I have a very understanding boss in Coach Browder,
but he's very demanding."
After basketball season, Franklin will compete on XU's
track and field team — she was a Class 5A state champion in the 800-meter
run as a 10th-grader — then enter the workforce after graduation. Eventually,
she'll pursue a master's degree.
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The Xavier Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets compete in Division I of the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) as a member of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC).
Xavier fields men's teams in basketball, cross country, tennis and track and field and women's teams in basketball, cross country, tennis, track and field and volleyball.
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
Xavier University of Louisiana
1 Drexel Drive
Campus Box 92
New Orleans, LA 70125
(504) 520-7329 phone
(504) 520-7934 fax
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