Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball bolstered its team for next year by landing one of the top players in Virginia with the signing of Du’Vaughn Maxwell to a letter of intent on Saturday.
Maxwell, a 6-foot-6 guard/forward, played for Petersburg High School in Petersburg, Virg., and then was a key performer for High Point University, a NCAA Division I school in North Carolina last year. Maxwell started 12 of 25 games for the High Point Panthers, averaging 7 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. Maxwell also earned the Big South Freshman of the Week honors back in January.
Maxwell said he is excited to come to WNCC with hopes of leading them to the national title.
“I definitely want to come here and be a dominating factor, blend in, and take the team to the national tournament,” he said. “I definitely know what I am getting myself into where I will place my focus on the classroom and the basketball court.”
Maxwell had a stellar prep career at Petersburg High in Virginia, where he averaged 18.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior. He also earned first-team All-Region and second-team All-State honors and was a McDonald’s All-American nominee. He helped Petersburg High to a 30-1 record his senior season and a berth in the state championship game. He also played for the Team Loaded AAU team
Maxwell was a highly recruited player this past season after deciding to leave High Point University. He was recruited by some of the top junior colleges in the nation, including NJCAA national champion College of Southern Idaho. Other big hitters on the JUCO ranks that were looking at one of Virginia’s top prep players from 2009-10 included Chipola College, Southwest Tennessee Community College, South Plains, Wabash Valley, Midland and Wallace State Community College.
WNCC coach Russ Beck said that the Cougars entered the recruiting picture late and won the lottery.
“Du’Vaughn has a reputation of being a high-motor guy. He plays with a lot of intensity and shares the ball,” he said. “He has a lot of length and athleticism, so he can really defend multiple positions. I think he is a guy that is accustomed to winning. He has four other brothers and their combined high school record 260-10. He comes from a family that really knows how to win. That is a premium with our program and a premium with our guys; we want to win and get to the national tournament.”
Maxwell said that he picked WNCC because of the relationship he developed with Coach Beck during the recruiting process.
“Originally coming here was one of my last choices,” he said. “But after talking to the coach and the relationships that we built, it came down to different situations with other schools that I was balancing with. One of the first conversations I had coach was he asked me what position I liked to play and I told him I am just a basketball player; I get in where I fit in.”
During the recruiting process, Beck said the reputation and the tradition of WNCC really showed through.
“I told him that we are probably the junior college version of Michigan, a team that had it rocking and rolling in the 1990s and has been rebounding since 2000,” Beck said. “I have a good feeling about this next year. I have a good feeling about Du’Vaughn and the guys returning because they are dedicated on getting to the national tournament.”
Maxwell knows what it takes to win at the college level, as he was part of a High Point team that went 12-19 last season, falling in the second round of the Big South Tournament to UNC-Ashville.
“I definitely know what it takes in college basketball after being one of the leaders on the team as a freshman,” he said. “One of the first things I will bring to the program is hard work. Like I was telling coach, hard work is one of the things I will bring every day.”
Beck said this is a good way to get the recruiting season started in signing someone of Maxwell’s athleticism.
“This is a good way for us to start off and this is a critical piece for us,” he said. “With Hauns [Brereton] departing, there are definitely minutes to be had on the floor. I like our ability now to rebound the basketball with Terrance [Mottley], Marko [Kovacevic] and now Du’Vaughn right there in the mix. I think we can be very disruptive defensively. We want to play a lot faster this next year. I think Cougar fans can start to get excited for next year. We are on a good track.”
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