🏀 Zakiyah Franklin Named to Big 12 All-Freshman Team
IRVING, Texas – First-year guard Zakiyah Franklin earns a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team, becoming the third player in program history to garner the accolade after the league announced its postseason awards Monday evening.
Franklin led the Jayhawks in assists at 3.6 per game for the regular season. She totaled 103 assists in her freshman year, placing her fifth among all freshmen in the Kansas record book. She had a career game against Oklahoma State on Feb. 29, where she dished out eight assists.
The Lakeland, Florida native consistently averaged double-digit scoring (12.1 per game) throughout the 2019-20 slate. Franklin scored double-figures in 20 games – which was highlighted by three 20-plus point outings. She led the Jayhawks on eight different occasions. Out of those eight, she posted a career-best 25 points, the second-highest among her teammates.
"KB [Zakiyah Franklin] had a terrific freshman season. I’m grateful the coaches in the league recognized her competitive drive and contributions to our team in every phase of the game. I’m excited for what the future holds for her and our program."
Kansas head coach, Brandon Schneider
The 29-game starter led the Jayhawks in minutes played (32.1 per game), where she clocked 930 minutes on the hardwood.
For the season, the four-star recruit ranks in the top-20 in the league in assists (3.6 per game) and minutes played (32.0); while also placing in the top-20 in scoring (12.7), field goal percentage (.370), assists (3.67) and minutes played (33.6) in Big 12 games.
Forty-two Kansas women’s basketball student-athletes have earned All-Big 12 honors in the leagues 24 seasons, with the last being Kylee Kopatich and Christalah Lyons in the 2018-19 season. Under head coach Brandon Schneider, KU has seen four Jayhawks receive postseason honors from the league.
2019-20 All-Big 12 Team
All-Big 12 First Team
(honors listed alphabetically by school)
| Player | School | Pos | Ht | Cl | Hometown |
| Lauren Cox+%** | Baylor | F | 6-4 | Sr. | Flower Mound, Texas |
| NaLyssa Smith | Baylor | F | 6-2 | So. | Converse, Texas |
| Te’a Cooper | Baylor | G | 5-8 | Gr. | Powder Springs, Ga. |
| Ashley Joens** | Iowa State | G/F | 6-0 | So. | Iowa City, Iowa |
| Ayoka Lee | Kansas State | C | 6-5 | R-Fr. | Byron, Minn. |
| Peyton Williams% | Kansas State | F | 6-4 | Sr. | Topeka, Kan. |
| Vivian Gray%** | Oklahoma State | G | 6-1 | Jr. | Argyle, Texas |
| Lauren Heard | TCU | G | 5-9 | Jr. | Denton, Texas |
| Charli Collier | Texas | F/C | 6-5 | So. | Mont Belvieu, Texas |
| Brittany Brewer | Texas Tech | F | 6-5 | Sr. | Abilene, Texas |
All-Big 12 Second Team
| Player | School | Pos | Ht | Cl | Hometown |
| DiDi Richards | Baylor | G | 6-1 | Jr. | Cypress, Texas |
| Natasha Mack | Oklahoma State | F | 6-4 | Jr. | Lufkin, Texas |
| Kianna Ray | TCU | G | 6-1 | Sr. | Austin, Texas |
| Sug Sutton% | Texas | G | 5-8 | Sr. | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Tynice Martin^% | West Virginia | G | 5-11 | R-Sr. | Atlanta, Ga. |
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention:
Juicy Landrum (Baylor), Kristin Scott (Iowa State), Angela Harris (K-State), Taylor Robertson (Oklahoma), Jayde Woods (TCU), Joyner Holmes (Texas), Chrislyn Carr (Texas Tech), Kysre Gondrezick (West Virginia), Kari Niblack (West Virginia).
** Unanimous First Team Selection (coaches cannot vote for own players, unanimous denotes voted first team by other nine coaches)
% 2018-19 All-Big 12 First Team Selection
> 2018-19 All-Big 12 Second Team Selection
+ 2017-18 All-Big 12 First Team Selection
^ 2016-17 All-Big 12 First Team Selection
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
| Player | School | Pos | Ht | Cl | Hometown |
| Lauren Cox^+** | Baylor | F | 6-4 | Sr. | Flower Mound, Texas |
| DiDi Richards+** | Baylor | G | 6-1 | Jr. | Cypress, Texas |
| Natasha Mack | Oklahoma State | F | 6-4 | Jr. | Lufkin, Texas |
| Kianna Ray | TCU | G | 6-1 | Sr. | Austin, Kan. |
| Brittany Brewer | Texas Tech | F | 6-5 | Sr. | Abilene, Texas |
** Unanimous Selection (coaches cannot vote for own players, unanimous denotes selected for team on other nine ballots)
+ 2018-19 Big 12 All-Defensive Team Selection
^ 2017-18 Big 12 All-Defensive Team Selection
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
| Player | School | Pos | Ht | Hometown |
| Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw | Iowa State | G | 5-10 | Indianola, Iowa |
| Zakiyah Franklin | Kansas | G | 5-7 | Lakeland, Fla. |
| Ayoka Lee** | Kansas State | C | 6-5 | Byron, Minn. |
| Gabby Gregory** | Oklahoma | G | 6-0 | Tulsa, Okla. |
| Celeste Taylor** | Texas | G | 5-11 | Valley Stream, N.Y. |
