Greg Franklin named new women's basketball coach

Garden City, KS-Garden City Community College announced on Friday that they have named Greg Franklin as its new women's basketball coach. He replaces Antwain Scales who left to take the women's assistant job at Wichita State.  

"Coach Franklin is a winner, plain and simple," Director of Athletics, Mike Pilosof said. "He understands how to build a program from the ground up. His resume speaks for itself, and his teams have constantly performed at a high level both on and off the floor." 

Franklin comes to Garden City after spending 11 years as the Head Women's Coach at Chipola College in Marianna, FL compiling a record of 258-74. He led the Indians to the 2015 NJCAA National Championship, won three Region VIII titles, and two Panhandle Conference crowns. In all, Franklin guided Chipola to the NJCAA National Tournament six times.  

"When you talk about one of the premiere women's coaches in Junior College basketball, Greg Franklin immediately comes to mind," said Colin Lamb, who serves as the Vice President for Student Services and Athletics. "He's a consistent winner." 

In 2015, Franklin was named the NJCAA Women's Basketball coach of the year after guiding the Lady Indians to a 34-1 record and the program's first National Championship.  

"We are so excited to come to Garden City," Franklin said. "There is a such a great energy coming from the athletic department, Vice President, and the President. We couldn't ask for anything more."

Prior to Chipola, Franklin was an assistant women's coach at Mississippi State for five years under Sharon Fanning, helping the Bulldogs reach the Sweet 16 in 2010.  Before that, he spent time as both a Head Coach and Athletic Director at Southeastern Illinois, posting a 154-25 record while leading his team to a fourth-place finish at the 2006-07 National Tournament.

"I want the fans of Garden City to know that they can expect our team to play hard and respect the name across the jersey," Franklin added. "We are committed to winning in all aspects, and we couldn't be more excited to get started." 

A native of Kentucky, Franklin earned his bachelor's degree from Austin Peay State University where he played from 1989-1993. He was an All-Ohio Valley selection three times and finished with more than 1,000 career points. He moves to Garden City with his wife, Alicia.