From the sound of things, it appears Amani Franklin and Lydia Watkins are just a few games away from graduating and moving straight to a retirement community.With all the injuries, physical therapy, personal obstacles and uphill battles they’ve had to overcome, there’s hardly enough tread left on the tires to stroll onto the court for Sunday’s Senior Day festivities.”Me and Lydia, we’re the old ladies of the team,” Franklin said. “We’ve been through it all.”But don’t take them out to pasture just yet. No, the “old ladies” of the team still have a few destinations they’d like to visit before wrapping up their UK careers. The chief goal is the NCAA Tournament.With Senior Day set for Sunday against South Carolina, the final home game of the 2009-10 season, Franklin and Watkins are in position to make their first NCAA Tournament after three straight appearances in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.”It’s been really special,” Franklin said of her final season at UK. “I’m happy at the position we’re at right now. We have a chance where we are going to make it to the NCAA Tournament if we continue to play well. It’s just been great.”But not always easy. Each has undergone decades worth of adversity in just four short years. Watkins had to overcome spondylolisthesis, a stress fracture of her vertebrae in her first season. She had eight screws inserted into her back and still deals with pain today. Just when she put the back problems behind her last season, she became pregnant, had her first child and sat out the rest of the year. She’s returned as a vital backup this season but has already battled through a dislocated shoulder and hyper-extended knee.While Franklin’s injuries haven’t been as severe, they have been equally as aggravating. She’s dealt with nagging knee injuries throughout her career, which have flared up as of late. Both Watkins and Franklin have been relegated to the training room bike more than they have the practice floor.”That’s my best friend in the training room,” Franklin said of the bike. Their various ailments have appropriately earned them the nickname of “the grannies” from the man at the helm.”They’re very old and they have numerous elements that remind me of a granny,” Mitchell said softheartedly. “It’s a term of endearment, but they are just a little hobbled. They don’t practice a lot at times. Anna Cole was on the bike yesterday and Amani said the bike is broken. I said, ‘Well if anyone knows about the bike, you would know,’ because she is on the bike a lot instead of running sprints because of her various ailments. We’ve had fun with that in some of our lighthearted moments. That’s carried over to the team.”When Mitchell brought in a wealth of talented first-year players and changed the identity of the team, it was tough to gauge where Franklin and Watkins were going to fit in. However, they never worried and have blossomed in their roles as leaders, adding the irreplaceable trait of experience to a very green team.”I’ve said all season how proud I am just to have a chance to coach this team but particularly proud of those two,” Mitchell said. “Both of them have overcome personal obstacles, basketball difficulties with their games, academic challenges they may have faced. Whatever it is, they’ve had adversity all throughout their career. You want them to do well their senior year and both of them have. “Both of them have a chance to make it an incredibly special senior year, and that’s all a coach could ever want for the players is for them to leave feeling a sense of accomplishment. I feel like they’re in a position to do that and this team is in a position to do that. We’ve relied heavily on both of those players at different times during the season for leadership. I’m proud of them.”
Mitchell pointed to Watkins’ leadership at a key point during the season.Following the loss to South Carolina, really the only game Mitchell would characterize as a disappointment this year, Watkins provided a huge energy boost off the bench at a critical juncture in the beginning of conference play.”I felt like I owed my team this year,” Watkins said after having to sit out most of last season.Watkins averaged 10.3 points and 8.8 rebounds during the four-game stretch from the South Carolina game to the Auburn game, igniting UK on its current surprise run to second place in the Southeastern Conference. She played a similar role in UK’s win over Florida Thursday night, erupting for 19 points and nine rebounds after a scoreless first half.”I was able to put her in the spotlight and say, ‘This is how you need to play for our team to be successful,’ ” Mitchell said. “It helped us tremendously.”Franklin hasn’t had a breakthrough moment quite like Watkins, but she has provided steady consistency on the boards, an area she didn’t always buy into. Although her scoring numbers have dipped, her importance has never been greater.”I’m just happy that we’re winning,” Franklin said. “If I have to sacrifice scoring, that’s what I’ll do. If I have to work on rebounding, that’s what I’ll do.”And she has, averaging a career-high 6.8 rebounds per game.”The light came on when she understood how valuable she could be to help her teammates to succeed,” Mitchell said. “She’s a real selfless player. She’s more worried about her teammates than herself. A lot of times I just feel like she didn’t believe how important she really was. Once she understood that, it’s been a lot better for her.”Both expect to have family and friends in attendance for Sunday’s Senior Day ceremonies. While neither could say for certain whether or not they’ll cry in their final home game at Memorial Coliseum, both agreed it would be an emotional end to a gratifying turnaround.”Very emotional,” Watkins said. “It finally came. I can remember when I was freshman I didn’t think it was going to get here so fast.”Old age has a way of sneaking up on people, but with the NCAA Tournament on the horizon, don’t take these two out to the pasture quite yet.