Lady Topper Hoops: Malaka Frank Preseason Preview
The Lady Toppers seem to have reloaded once again. They return significant contributors who look ready to take the next step in their…
The Lady Toppers seem to have reloaded once again. They return significant contributors who look ready to take the next step in their evolution. Despite losing two top-25 all-time Lady Toppers in Kendall Noble and Micah Jones, WKU presses forward.
The question now is, are they ready to make a run in the Big Dance? If the Lady Toppers are to win a game in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000, they need depth.
Malaka Frank is another returning player, and she could provide some toughness off of the bench.
Lady Topper Hoops: Kayla Smith Preseason Preview
From the look of the team at Hilltopper Hysteria and the overall talent assembled, the Lady Toppers look poised for…medium.com
Frank was not a significant contributor last year, and in high school, she didn’t even average 10 points a game as a senior. She’s only 5'10" and does not have a great outside shot. She didn’t even attempt a three-pointer in 2017. So how does she fit into the Lady Topper puzzle this year?
She played nine minutes per game in 2017, scoring a point a game and grabbing two rebounds per contest. She tallied four points and eight rebounds in January against UTEP.
Frank is not a stat stuffer by any stretch, but what she does do is bring energy, and she is capable of making a difference. She plays hard, runs the court, sets screens and plays defense. No one really knows what the Lady Topper rotation will look like, but one would guess Malaka will probably see a similar role in 2018. She’ll play sparingly, but she will do a good job and will be reliable when called upon.
There will come a time when Malaka Frank will have an opportunity to affect the outcome of some games, and it is extremely important to have every player on board and ready to play and contribute. I believe Malaka is an important piece, because she is an underdog that does her job and scraps for everything. Energy from an underdog is infectious. That energy is crucial if the Lady Toppers are going to add another great memory in Lady Topper history.
Lady Topper News and Notes:
In her opening press conference, Coach Michelle Clark-Heard talked about the massive opportunity at home against Notre Dame on November 14. Notre Dame has been a juggernaut in women’s college basketball since 2010, making four national championship game appearances and making at least the Sweet 16 every year in the same time period.
She mentioned Kayla Smith has been battling an ongoing injury. They are trying to rehab her, but she may not play early in the season.
Coach Heard also thinks some of the freshmen are going to start straight out of the gate.
If you haven’t seen the Lady Toppers since 2012, you’ve missed exciting basketball. They play good ole fashioned traditional Western basketball, pressing and trapping. They play fast and get physical. Check them out in their lone preseason game, Thursday, November 2 at 7:00 against Union University (TN) in Diddle Arena.