Randi Maynard was the most celebrated girls basketball player in Kirkland, Ill.-based Hiawatha High School’s history. Now, McHenry County College (MCC) women’s basketball coach Pam Mason is hoping Maynard has that type of impact on her Scots program for the next two seasons as center-forward.  

“I never saw her play in high school, but from word of mouth I knew she would be a person that would fit into our program,” said Mason, who is beginning her 13th season in the Scots program and seventh as head coach. “We worked her out and she did everything on the court.

“Offensively, at 6’2”, she can score inside or hit the three-pointer,” Mason added. “She is also an excellent passer and rebounder. We can play her at a lot of different positions. For her size, she can defend a lot of positions. I like her attitude and her work ethic. She is the total package. We look to her to make an impact on our program right away.”
 
High School Highlights

Maynard terrorized Kirkland Hiawatha Hawks’ opponents for four years. As the all-time leading scorer in Hiawatha girls  basketball history with 1,347 points and four-time Most Valuable Player, Maynard ended her stellar high school career with a monster senior season.

She averaged 19.8 points a game, 12.3 rebounds and 4.7 blocked shots a game. Maynard – who was a first team all-Little Ten Conference selection as a junior and senior, and a second team honoree as a freshman and sophomore – converted 79 percent of her free throws as a senior. She led the Hawks to the school’s first-ever regional championship.

“Randi is the biggest reason Kirkland Hiawatha girls basketball turned into a winner,” said Kirkland coach Franz Schumacher. “She was the reason the kids in my youth camps all talked about being as good as Randi. Playing four years on the varsity, she was a tremendous leader and she was the main reason we won the school’s first-ever regional championship. She embraced the leadership role and she improved her game every year. She is a great person who I enjoyed coaching.”     

Maynard enjoyed her high school career. “We built a program my four years in high school and it was a great feeling to win a regional championship.” Maynard said. “We were a team and well-coached. We had the heart to win and the intangibles to win.”     

Maynard, who was a goalie on the Hiawatha soccer team and three-time all-conference selection, was recruited to play basketball by Aurora University and at the junior college level by Black Hawk East before choosing MCC and Mason’s Scots.    

“When I worked out with the team, I felt I fit in,” said Maynard. “All the girls were really nice and I had rapport with them. They played with heart and I liked that. I really like the fast pace they play at and the transition basketball.”    

Maynard, who will major in criminal justice at MCC, hopes to move on to play at a four-year school and major in sociology. “I want to help the team win and then play at a four-year school,” Maynard said. “After college, I want to be a police officer and I want to help people.”  
 
Long History Playing Hoops
Maynard started her basketball career at a young age, playing in youth leagues starting in first grade, then moving to travel basketball in fifth grade. She played four years of travel hoops before entering high school.    

Maynard, who patterns her game after former Chicago Sky player Stephanie Raymond, says she dances to Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” before every game.    

“Stephanie was a role model,” Maynard said. “I liked the way she plays. The song is just something that fires me up and is a ritual now.”    

Mason, who states Maynard will be a key to her team’s success for the next two years, figures the standout player will be in the starting lineup when the Scots open the season on October 28, in a scrimmage jamboree, at Vincennes University in Indiana.   

MCC, led by returnees Maggie Friday (McHenry West), LaNeysha Campbell (Oswego East) and Chrishaya Dixon (Rockford Guilford), along with newcomers Maynard, Hannah Ganschow (Cary-Grove), Jheri Alexander (Peoria Central), Hillary Johnson (Huntley) and Breanna Meyer (Limestone Community) hopes to improve on last year’s season, which saw the Scots go 2-29 overall and winless in the Skyway Conference at 0-14.    

Maynard’s first home appearance will be November 6 when College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) invades Crystal Lake for a 5:15 p.m. tip off.    

“Randi is a very mature kid and a great kid who should be a force for us for two years,” Mason said. “She can be a dominant player at the junior college level. She is the type of player a lot of four-year schools will be recruiting at the end of her time here.”    

Schumacher believes Maynard will have no problem making the adjustment from high school to college. “I am an old-school coach, and we played a very methodical style,” Schumacher said. “The level of speed and competitiveness will increase at the college level. It is an Amateur Athletic Union style and a full-court game. It is a whole different type of game, but Randi has the attitude and athleticism to do well at the collegiate level.”

>> For more about MCC’s Women’s Basketball program, visit www.mchenry.edu/athletics/wbasketball/index.asp.