JACKSON, Miss. – The Millsaps women's basketball program will be looking to repeat after claiming the 2023-24 Southern Athletic Association regular-season and postseason titles. Head basketball coach Justin LeBlanc (Millsaps '06) will be returning to the team for his 10th season at the helm after being named SAA and Region 6 Coach of the Year last season. 
 
Millsaps is bolstered by 11 returners and welcomes in six additions. The Majors will host 11 home games, and a pair of classics while traveling to 14 road and neutral-site matchups.  
 
On Oct. 22, the Majors were predicted to repeat after being voted first in the 2024-25 SAA Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.
 
Last season, the Majors secured the most wins in program history (24-5), while maintaining an unblemished record at home (16-0). Millsaps also set the most conference wins since 2018-19 with a 12-2 ledger.  
 
Senior Haley Franklin is back after being named 2023-24 SAA Women's Basketball Player of the Year, WBCA All-America Honorable Mention, D3hoops.com All-Region 6 First Team, SAA Women's Basketball Tournament MVP and All-SAA First Team.  
 
Franklin was a three-time SAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week where she led the conference in scoring (18.8 ppg), made field goals (187), and free-throw makes (146). The Baton Rouge, La., native also broke her own Millsaps record with 526 points.  
 
While on the court Franklin can be seen driving in layups or setting her teammates to score. Franklin paced the team in minutes per game (34.1 mpg), was second with 5.5 rebounds per game, 77 assists and 16 blocks. She finished third on the squad with 38 steals. 
 
Junior Elyse Warren will be returning after making the 2023-24 All-SAA Second Team and twice named the SAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week. Warren led the team last season with 313 total rebounds (10.8 rpg), while finishing second with 11.1 points per game and third with 10 blocks.  
 
On Feb. 24, she set a program record of 24 rebounds in a home game against Rhodes College in the SAA Tournament where she helped the Majors to a 68-47 victory.
 
The Memphis, Tenn., native added 14 double-doubles in 29 games to top her sophomore performance. Warren rebounding effort helped the Majors lead the conference with 1,197 total boards. 
 
While on the court, the 5-foot-9 defensive playmaker makes her skill set known by grabbing rebounds off the board while making powerful layups inside the paint. 
 
Sophomore Garin Freeman was tabbed All-SAA Honorable Mention in her opening season after playing in all 29 games.  

Hailing from Little Rock, Ark., Freeman finished first for the Majors with 108 total assists and 54 steals. She also was third in scoring (10.4 ppg) and fourth in rebounding (3.4 rpg).
 
Freeman was awarded the 2024 Millsaps Female Newcomer of the Year Award across all sports at the college. She completed her freshman campaign with a career-high 23 points against No. 1 NYU in the NCAA Tournament on March 1.  
 
When on the basketball court, the 5-foot-6 guard can be seen making nifty crossover moves to sink contested layups. 
 
Senior Whitney Novak, another key contributor to the team, hauled in 7.0 ppg. Novak shot just under 30 percent from three-point range for a team best and was third in three-point shooting and paced the team with a .778 free-throw percentage (28-of-36).
 
The 5-foot-11 forward finished third on the team with 136 rebounds and fifth in steals (17) and blocks (eight). Novak can be considered a Swiss Army knife with length and shooting ability that can keep opponents on their toes. 
 
Also returning will be senior point guard Emily Adams, who started all 29 games, placing third on the team with 63 assists and 37 steals at 4.6 points per game.

Other returners include senior Taylor Frank (96 rebounds, 12 steals, five blocks) and sophomore Tia Anderson (16 assists, 13 steals, three blocks).
  
Juniors Rachel Pflum and Maddy Maw along with sophomores Bailey Johnson and Mya Richardson will all look to continue making an impact on the team.
 
Junior transfer Lexus Keyes of East Central Community College comes from the junior collegiate level with quality experience. She led the Warriors to the first-ever 10-0 start in program history, while being Team MVP and named the best teammate. 
 
Coach LeBlanc's freshman class includes Naomi Berry, Ashlyn Hafley, Dove Leach, Anaya Lewis and Molly Northam, who will all look to make an impression on the team.

The Majors open the season by hosting the Millsaps College Fall Classic, Nov. 8-9 inside the Hangar Dome.
 
2024-25 MILLSAPS WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE 
  

DATE	OPPONENT	TIME	NOTES
Friday, Nov. 8	Belhaven vs. Berea	4 p.m.	Millsaps Fall Classic
	vs. Ozarks	6 p.m.	Millsaps Fall Classic
Saturday, Nov. 9	Ozarks vs. Belhaven	2 p.m.	Millsaps Fall Classic
	vs. Berea	4 p.m.	Millsaps Fall Classic
Friday, Nov. 15	at MUW	6 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 19	at Belhaven	5:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 23	vs. Centenary (at Belhaven)	1 p.m.	Belhaven University Classic
Sunday, Nov. 24	vs. Emory	1 p.m.	Belhaven University Classic
Saturday, Nov. 30	Hendrix vs. MUW	1 p.m.	Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic
	vs. Huntingdon	3 p.m.	Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic
Sunday, Dec. 1	Hendrix vs. Huntingdon	1 p.m.	Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic
	vs. MUW	3 p.m.	Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic
Wednesday, Dec. 11	at University of Dallas	5:30 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 13	at Centenary	5 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 19	at Ozarks	3 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 3	vs. Howard Payne (at ETBU)	5:30 p.m.	ETBU Tiger Classic
Saturday, Jan. 4	at ETBU	2 p.m.	ETBU Tiger Classic
Friday, Jan. 10	at Hendrix	6 p.m.	SAA Opener
Sunday, Jan. 12	at Rhodes	1 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 18	vs. Berry	1 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 19	vs. Oglethorpe	1 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 24	at Centre	5 p.m. CT
Sunday, Jan. 26	at Sewanee	1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 1	vs. Sewanee	1 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 2	vs. Centre	1 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8	vs. Rhodes	1 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 9	vs. Hendrix	1 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14	at Oglethorpe	5 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 16	at Berry	12 p.m. CT
Sunday, Feb. 23	SAA First Round	1 p.m. CT	Hosted at Higher Seeds
Friday, Feb. 28	SAA Semifinal	4 & 6 p.m. CT	Hosted at No. 1 Seed
Saturday, March 1	SAA Final	2 p.m. CT	Hosted at No. 1 Seed

  
   
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Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.