Newcomer Feature: Hayley Frank
10/28/2019 11:13:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Frank aims to take the Mizzou program to new heights
Mizzou Women's Basketball freshman Hayley Frank (Strafford, Mo.) hasn't lost a basketball game since her freshman year of high school, all the way back in 2016. For nearly four years, Strafford Women's Basketball has gone undefeated, securing 115 consecutive wins on the way to four-consecutive state championships.
After one of the most prolific high school careers in the history of Missouri, Frank now joins the Tigers and is aiming higher than ever.
"It was my goal to win a state championship, and we did that my first year," Frank said. "That was a really overwhelming and special moment. Then, to do it three more times was just so incredible and such a great experience."
Frank, a 6-1 forward, racked up 3,003 points, a state record 1,629 rebounds and 824 assists during her high school career. For two straight years, Frank was named the Gatorade Missouri Girls Basketball Player of the Year for her accomplishments.
"My high school career was really special. I just had a really tight team in high school and we definitely had a great family atmosphere, which was a big reason why I chose Mizzou. I was really blessed throughout my high school career."
Family, for Frank, has always been intertwined with basketball. That's because her father, Steve, coached her and her twin sister, Kayley, for their four years in high school.
"I've always really looked up to my dad and we've always had a really close relationship," Frank said. "We always see eye-to-eye on things. I made a goal to win a state championship at a really young age, mostly thinking that I wanted to win my dad's first state championship. To achieve things like that with my team, it was really special."
Now at Mizzou, Frank has gained more family members in her new teammates and coaches.
"Here at Mizzou, a lot of girls come from different backgrounds," Frank said. "I really like being able to grow and experience new things. That was another big reason for choosing Mizzou. I want to grow not only as a basketball player, but as a person."
Frank knows the transition from high school to college can be difficult, and is welcoming of the new challenges.
"I've always put a lot of time into basketball, but the level of competition and intensity of the workouts has gone up," Frank said. "Everything you do, you have to be completely dialed in, mentally and physically. At this stage, you have to take every aspect of your game to another level to be successful."
Frank is learning to adjust alongside her fellow freshmen teammates Aijha Blackwell (St. Louis, Mo,) and Micah Linthacum (Jefferson City, Mo.). But Frank and Blackwell's relationship didn't begin at Mizzou. The two have a history together, as they played each other three times during their four years in high school.
"Each time we played each other, it was always a battle," Frank said. "She's definitely the best competitor I played against in high school."
Now, Frank and Blackwell, the top two players in from Missouri in the Class of 2019, are teaming up and learning to play with instead of against each other.
"To be able to come together and play on the same team, we'll be working together and feeding off of each other's strengths," Frank said. "I think it's going to be really cool to see, especially looking four years down the road at the growth we will have."
For this upcoming season, Frank knows it will be a season of learning and growing with the help of her coaches and teammates.
"I want to try to be the best that I can be," Frank said. "In whatever role I play in this year, I want to fill it the best I can and have the biggest impact for this team that I can to make us successful."
But beyond this season, Frank has a vision for the future, hoping to lift the Tigers higher than ever before.
"We want to keep taking this program to another level," Frank said. "I want to leave this program better than I found it and help us grow to an even more elite level."
