HAWKS HIGHLIGHT: Lorna Maxon

NORFOLK, Neb. – "If our world was filled with Lorna's, there wouldn't be any issues."

That's high praise from Northeast Community College Head Women's Basketball Coach Matt Svehla about sophomore guard Lorna Maxon (Laurel, Neb.), but Svehla does not sugarcoat how much he has enjoyed having Maxon on his team for the last three years.

"She's always supportive," Svehla said. "I've never questioned her effort or attitude. It's always top drawer. Even when she's not talking to teammates, her actions always speak loud and clear about how she goes about her business."

In the past, Maxon has been able to easily identify what her role on her various basketball teams has been.

"I've never really been the superstar of the team," Maxon said. "I've always been the dirty-work hustler. It's always fun. If you make a three people go crazy because the underdog makes a three. I love it."

Well, two Saturday's ago the "underdog" came through for the Hawks in a huge way. Off an assist from Marta Pons (Sevilla, Spain), Maxon buried a two-point jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining against Southeastern Community College to give Northeast a 64-62 win in a game played during a crucial part of their schedule (Link to game recap).

Even before she became a game-winning hero for the Hawks, Svehla has been proud of the growth he's seen from his third-year player.

"Right now, I think Lorna's playing her best basketball that she's played for us," Svehla said. "She's starting to shoot the ball pretty good. Ultimately, that's what you want. Can you continue to get better and improve?"

Besides playing basketball with the Hawks, Maxon is the President of Christian Student Fellowship (CSF), the President of the Student-Athlete Council, and plans on actively participating in Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) once the basketball season ends.

Why does Maxon strive to participate in so many diverse groups on campus?

"I think it is very important for community," Maxon said. "I'm a very social person. I love knowing so many different people and seeing different faces and being like, 'Oh, I know you from basketball. Oh, I know you from youth group. Oh, I know you from music.' There are so many different things. There is a certain attitude and mindset that it takes to do athletics, and if you do youth group there's a different mindset for youth group. There's different personalities and different mindsets for different activities."

Maxon's path to Northeast from Laurel-Concord-Coleridge High School in Laurel, Neb. wasn't cookie cutter by any means, and at one point she almost gave up the game she had played since childhood.

"I had decided that I wasn't going to play college basketball," Maxon said. "I was just going to go to Northeast for gen-eds because I had no clue what I was going to do. Then coach (Svehla) called me and said that he wanted me to play here because I had put in a recruiting form a couple months earlier. He said it was a one-year contract, and one year was a whole lot less scary than four years, so I decided to come here."

Svehla can recall the first time he saw Maxon on the hardwood, and the impression that she left him with.

"I had known of Lorna probably when she was a sophomore in high school and saw her play in at a holiday tournament," Svehla said. "I was intrigued by her. One thing that stood out was, 'Wow this kid just plays really hard.'"

Maxon remained on Svehla's radar, and as the time came closer for her to make a college decision the two were able to meet face-to-face.

"As she became a senior, I talked with her high school coach and inquired about her," Svehla said. "He said that she was open, and that she might be interested in Northeast. Once we got to talking, I had a chance to meet her and her character. We knew that she would be a great addition to our program."

Maxon first hit the floor for Northeast during the 2019-2020 season, and an injury during last year's campaign allowed her to return for a third year.

"She tore her Achilles last year," Svehla said. "Anytime players get hurt and they are season-ending deals that's always tough. An Achilles injury is really a rare injury for an 18 to 20-year-old student-athlete. She battled and came back on it before a year's time."

Don't feel sorry for Maxon however, as she has been able to find positives out of the situation.

"I am the type of person where life happens," Maxon said. "I can't sit there and cry about things that happen to me because it's not going to change my circumstances. I'm a person of faith. I think God made this happen for a reason, and even if I don't know the reason, it's shaping me. I think it made me mature a lot and become a lot more mature in how I think."

There are certainly some changes that have come, but Maxon is taking those new challenges in stride.

"It's a whole mental aspect of knowing that I used to be a lot quicker than I am now," Maxon said. "That I used to be able to jump higher. It is coming back, but it's just taking a lot of time."

Svehla feels those perseverance and resilience traits are leading characteristics of Maxon's persona.

"Just tough," Svehla said when describing how he views Maxon. "Just a tough kid who will play with pain or discomfort because she thinks it's the best thing for the team."

Although he knows she is humble about how she views herself, Svehla is quick to note all of Maxon's positive attributes.

"She probably thinks, 'Oh, I make all kinds of mistakes,'" Svehla said. "If that's the case, I don't see them. She's exactly what you'd want as a role model for young kids to look up to, for teammates to look up to, for other peers to look up to and I think even as adults. I get inspired."

The awe-inspiring aura that Maxon gives off is something that Svehla can feel on a daily basis.

"As a coach you might have a day where you say, 'Dang, I've got to go to practice,'" Svehla said. "If you see Lorna come walking by with a little bit of a limp because of that Achilles, you think, 'Well, I've got to get going.' There's a kid who just repaired her Achilles and she's ready to go. She inspires people under her, above her and at her same level."

Maxon views Northeast as a place that has continued to refine her personal tendencies.

"I think I have grown a lot," Maxon said. "I obviously came from a small town. Being so social wasn't very hard because you knew everyone because there weren't very many people. Coming to Northeast, it's a lot different. You have to make an effort to get to know people. I think I've become a lot more confident at Northeast because I've realized that I don't have to be something that I'm not to make friends. I don't have to be nervous to be weird."

 On the other hand, Svehla wants it known that Maxon had plenty of enduring aspects to her personality before she walked through the halls of Northeast.

"I like to sometimes say, 'Yeah, hey we've really helped kids propel themselves in their life,'" Svehla said. "Teach them how to work. Teach them how to be a great student. Lorna brought all that in here with her. Coaching Lorna was so easy. She's going to take care of business. She doesn't need a study table. She's going to get straight A's in her classes. She's going to go to every class. She's going to be involved in church groups, she's going to be involved on campus. If someone need a ride, Lorna will give them one. She's just there for people."

Maxon is quick to credit her teammates for their backing no matter the situation.

"I think with Ashley (Hassett), I've never met someone like her," Maxon said. "I'm like an old lady in a college kids' body. Most of the time I don't understand how college kids think, even though I am one."

Hassett and Maxon might not be two people naturally drawn to each other on paper, but Maxon is extremely appreciative for the opportunity to become life-long friends with all of her Hawks teammates.

"They're all so loving," Maxon said. "They all love me for who I am. Ashley has had my back for both years. I didn't know her as well last year because I didn't play with her, but she was there and was always trying to give me tips on what to do mentally and helping me through the Achilles injury. Molly (Davis) too. Molly's my roommate and I love her to death."

Maxon is aware that her basketball career will likely come to a close over the next month, but that realization is not something that worries her.

"I'm content," Maxon said. "I'm content not to go on anymore. I like being able to look back and say maybe I was better as an athlete physically in high school, but I think mentally I'm smarter than I was in high school. I can see the game better. I can understand why coach does the things that he does."

Maxon notes that the technical parts of the game are coming to her a lot quicker than they might have a few years ago.

"I think, oh, we're going to move to 1-3-1 now because this is the offense their running," Maxon said. "I think that part's cool. I can just see my basketball IQ improving so that's kind of fun."

Those same coaches, whether it be Svehla or assistant coach Justin Heng, are who Maxon credits most for making her college basketball experience what it has been.

"They have helped me more than literally anyone," Maxon said. "They would always tell me, 'Lorna, our door is open. I know this is very hard for you.' My freshman year they would tell me that all of the time. I was initially thinking, you're my coach. Why would I talk to you? I've never seen a coach as a friend before, because I don't respect my friends in the same way I respect my coaches. It's a totally different relationship."

That initial awkwardness is now a bond that is certainly now appreciated by Maxon.

"That was definitely weird, but last year I don't know if I would be able to come out of it nearly as easily as I did if they didn't always talk to me," Maxon said. "I remember that they would always consider me a part of the team."

There is one lasting memory that Maxon has that summarizes her rapport with her coaches.

"I remember one day when we were at practice and everyone was practicing, and I just got so sad," Maxon said. "I couldn't watch practice because I just wanted to play so bad. I came out to the hallway and I was bawling. They came and were like, 'Lorna, are you ok?' Obviously, I'm very pale so you can tell when I'm crying. I told them, 'I just want to play so bad.'  They were just like, 'Oh my gosh, Lorna. You're going to come back stronger from this.' There was just so much encouragement. They could tell when I was having a hard day and would build me up."

That support didn't end when Maxon recovered from her injury, and Maxon can still feel that reassurance to this day.

"Even at the beginning of this season, there was no pressure," Maxon said. "They were just like, 'We're going to work you back into it. As hard as you can, but you need to take your time. This is a tough injury to come back from.' So understanding. So patient with me."

Things haven't always come easy for the Hawks, but Maxon is grateful for her entire team around her.

"This season there's been lots of ups-and-downs," Maxon said. "It's been a very unique season. I've never felt more supported in my entire life with the friendship group that has been established. That is so cool. I have never been a part of a team like that."

Svehla isn't quite ready to send Maxon on her way just yet though, as he is excited to see Maxon on the court for one last postseason push.

"I'm happy to see her playing well and performing well," Svehla said. "None of us want to lose games, and we've lost more than I want to lose, but it's people like Lorna who make you want to get some W's here because a kid like that really deserves it."

What will Maxon take as her lasting memory of Northeast?

"I will remember how supportive everyone is," Maxon said. "People that I never would expect to watch me come and watch me. They tell me that they're looking for my name in the newspaper. I just feel so cared for here. No one's an outcast. We're all here, we're all living life, and we might as well support each other."

How about Svehla? What does he expect from Maxon as she enters a new chapter of her life?

"She's a people person," Svehla said. "She cares about things. She's going to do it to the fullest. She's going to do it right. That's what I've noticed about her and learned about her over the last two-three years. Lorna takes care of business, and it's all going to be a good product when she's done."

Svehla even recognizes Maxon as someone who can be a model of what it means to be an athlete at Northeast.

"If that's the bar, that's a pretty-high bar for everyone to reach," Svehla said. "It's been an honor to coach her."

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