Player to watch: Imanni Maxwell

By FIONA MORIARTY-MCLAUGHLINThe roaring crowds, buzzers, whistles and swishes drive basketball players. Starting her journey at the mere age of six, captain of the girls’ varsity basketball team Imanni Maxwell (’15) is achntinuing to make achievements in her passion."In her freshman year she made the varsity team with [former] coach Marty Verdugo and one game she just kept scoring, making assists and shutting down on defense," shooting guard Nicole Rosenbach (’14) said. "It was unbelievable; she destroyed."Maxwell began playing for the Boys and Girls Club co-ed basketball league at six years old when one of the coaches, Jerome Blockman, scouted Maxwell out. She made the team, beginning her unbreakable love for the sport."Imanni is coming off a season in which she suffered a knee injury which kept her sidelined the entire time," coach Marisa Silvestri said. "She has come back this year with something to prove, as she is the starting point guard."Basketball keeps Maxwell focused, as she is continuously thinking about her end goal: playing college basketball."I enjoy taking the leading role of the team, making plays and getting everyone involved," Maxwell said. "I like the pressure."Maxwell believes that her team will succeed this season because of the team chemistry the girls have."We are a quick, small team. We don’t have a lot of height, so we will be challenged by some teams," Maxwell said. "But as long as we work hard and together as a unit, we will succeed."Maxwell’s former coach helped her become the determined player she is today. According to Maxwell, Blockman has inspired her to continue playing and pursue basketball after high school."Imanni is an amazing player," Rosenbach said. "She is a threat on offense and a great scorer, while at the same time knows where everyone else is on the court to make an assist. She is really smart on the court and adds an efficient flow to the game that is hard for other players to achieve."