Two NCAA Division II colleges have added two Frenship Tigers to their basketball rosters. Maci Maddox, senior on the Varsity Girls Frenship Basketball team, signed with Lubbock Christian University and Avery Walker-Henry, also a senior on the Varsity squad, signed with Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Both will continue their basketball careers after graduation in May 2020.
Playing together since a young age, both girls have experienced tremendous success on the court as teammates. Next fall will be a different story for the Lady Tigers, as the two girls will be playing for rival schools - schools who met each other in the 2019 NCAA Division II Championship this past spring.
"It's actually really funny because Avery and I are so close," said Maddox. "We've always grown up playing with each other since Frenship Youth Basketball, so this will be really fun."Maddox has had her heart set on Lubbock Chrisitan since she was a little girl. Her family has a long history at LCU, so following in her family's footsteps was a dream come true for the senior point guard.
"It's awesome to kind of start my own journey," said Maddox about attending LCU. Maddox's older sister attended LCU and played Volleyball for the Chaps. "I'm playing a different sport, but the campus is incredible and provides a great Christian environment, and that's what I love to be around."
As for Avery, seeing her hard work and perseverance finally come full circle brought her to tears as she signed her commitment to SWOSU.
“It’s very exciting to finally sign after all my hard work and all the countless hours of frustration and working through it and relying on God to pull me through. It’s just been amazing,” Walker-Henry said.Frenship Girls Basketball Coach, Trent Hilliard, said he's proud of Walker-Henry for trusting the process and sticking it out through some tough times.
“A lot of kids nowadays aren’t willing to do that,” Hilliard said about Walker-Henry's dedication. “If you’ll stick with it, if you know you’re a player and you know you can work on your game and do those type of things, you can get there, and that’s what Avery has proven to all of us.”
Congratulations to both players! Best of luck in your senior season as a Frenship Tiger!