It only takes viewing one highlight reel to know what former Lehigh University guard Frannie Hottinger can bring to the Marquette women’s basketball program next season.
The 2022-23 Patriot League Player of the Year has a 3-level scoring ability and can dominate the glass to get boards. She also facilitates the ball well in transition and can stretch the floor for the Golden Eagles.
She announced her commitment to Marquette in an Instagram post April 17.
Last week, Hottinger took a few minutes to speak with the Marquette Wire.
Why Marquette?
I had a great experience at Lehigh, but there’s a lot of growth opportunity when you put yourself in a new environment. Talking to Coach Duffy and the other people on the coaching staff, I can tell they’re competitive and want to win, which is awesome. They’re also going to help me develop as a player and person, and hanging out with the team, it just seemed like a great group of girls that I would love to compete with and win with. It’s definitely nice that it’s close to home and Marquette University’s a great college.
What about head coach Megan Duffy’s system excites you?
They run hard in transition, play fast, which I’m used to. They focus on getting stops on defense as a team and getting real big team stops which is fun to play. As a stretch three, four, mostly four in the system, I would have the ability to use the versatility that I have as a player, whether it be around the rim and the mid range or a little bit further out.
What was the recruiting process like?
It was stressful but Marquette was always near the top or at the top of my list from the get-go after my first call with Justine (Raterman) on the coaching staff. That was awesome to have.
You mentioned that Justine was the first person to reach out to you. What’s your relationship with her like?
It made me happy when she reached out to me and when I got to talk to her, which wasn’t always the case with all the other coaches. Made me feel super comfortable, super confident. I know I’d be working with her a lot with my position, so that excites me. She’s someone that you want to win for and that you want to work with and get better for.
When are you planning to get out to Milwaukee?
As soon as possible after I graduate, but I know I’ll be here in the summer for summer sessions. I think around June 4.
What do you want to work on this summer before the season starts?
Everyone in the Big East is definitely a little bit bigger, faster and stronger than in the Patriot League. I want to work on getting better in those areas. Getting comfortable with the system that the team runs in terms of their offensive system. Working on the defensive, quickness and fastness of the Big East. Being able to try and ease the transition from the Patriot League to the Big East as much as I can during the summer by putting in extra work and by working with my team and picking their brains and the coaches’ brains.
You mention how the Big East is a different ball game from the Patriot League. How excited are you to play against some of these nationally ranked programs?
I’m super excited. I know in non-conference, we’ve played some Big East games at Lehigh. I’ve played against Villanova and Seton Hall, so I know that kind of pace and style, which makes me feel confident but also know that they’re great. There’s a lot of great players in this league. It’s a competitive league and every day you have to show up and bring your best and I’m excited to visit some new schools I’ve never been to and hopefully it gets some good wins.
You and Liza played together before college on the AAU circuit in Minnesota. What will it be like playing with her again?
I’m super excited to play with Liza (Karlen). It was nice to have her throughout this recruiting process too because you want to get it right with your fifth year, you only have one year left. So it was nice because I could trust her as a friend to tell me what her experience at Marquette was like and that made me feel confident to visit and to get on campus and really pursue it further. I’m really excited to play with her again. She’s such a great teammate and friend and supporter. I think she’ll help make me better just by being around her.
How will your experience help the younger Marquette team?
Although I haven’t played in the Big East, I do have four years of college basketball under my belt. I hope to bring some leadership in terms of knowing how to communicate on the basketball floor, knowing how to work hard and being able to bring my experience to push other people and to push myself.
How will your three level scoring ability help Marquette?
I hope that can help stretch the floor a little bit for Marquette and help bring a little bit of a versatile and agile post presence to them, which I think can be hard to guard at times.
If you had to sum up your game for Marquette fans, what should they be excited about when watching you play?
I’m a hard worker. I will do anything to get boards around the floor and I bring versatility around the basket and some finishing ability that could help us all as a team.
What do you want to accomplish as a Golden Eagle?
I’d love to help the team win. I would love to grow as a player and a person while also be able to be on a team where we’re winning and celebrating each other as teammates.
This article was written by Jack Albright. He can be reached [email protected] or on Twitter @JackAlbrightMU.
