NEW MEXICO SPORTS
Anita Maxwell's career at NM State was one she 'could not have scripted'
Aggies legend among 5 inducted into state's sports Hall of Fame
The text messages never get old. No matter how many times they appear on Anita Maxwell鈥檚 phone. The variety is in the angles.
Her family and friends make sure of it. They can鈥檛 quite help themselves. Not when it comes to a ceiling inside a building on New Mexico State鈥檚 campus or rather what鈥檚 hanging from it.
The Pan American Center is always the destination of choice. There鈥檚 a photo they want to take. And naturally, share, too: an Aggies No. 40 jersey. It鈥檚 the Aggies jersey Maxwell wore and starred in.
鈥淭hat means a lot to me,鈥� said Maxwell, who was inducted into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday along with former New Mexico runner and Olympian Courtney Frerichs, former UNM and current Texas men鈥檚 golf coach John Fields, former Artesia, Oklahoma and NFL quarterback Landry Jones, and longtime Clayton and Clovis girls basketball coach Miles Watters.
Just as much as it did then.
Maxwell became the first New Mexico State basketball player 鈥� men鈥檚 or women鈥檚 鈥� to have their number retired when she entered the school鈥檚 hall of fame in 2002. It was a prestige she held alone until February when , who helped lead the Aggies to the men鈥檚 Final Four in 1970, had his .
It never appeared to be a difficult choice.
Referred to by the school as 鈥�,鈥� Maxwell finished her Aggies career from 1992-96 with nine program records, three Big West Conference Player of the Year awards and three All-American honorable mentions.
Maxwell still holds the New Mexico State women鈥檚 basketball career marks for points (2,601), points per game (21.9), rebounds (1,198), steals (337), made field goals (1,068) and field-goal percentage (56.4). She was the first Division I college basketball player 鈥� again men鈥檚 or women鈥檚 鈥� to record 2,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 steals in a career.
And yet, it鈥檚 all something Maxwell can鈥檛 always fathom. Even 30 years later.
鈥淚 had a wonderful career at New Mexico State, one I could not have scripted,鈥� said Maxwell, who is currently a radio analyst for her alma mater's men鈥檚 basketball games. 鈥淚f you had asked me (then), 鈥楴o way. This is not going to happen.鈥� I remember my freshman year, I was just glad to play because I wasn鈥檛 playing a lot.鈥�
An injury to one of her teammates changed that. And with it? Maxwell鈥檚 trajectory, too. The more minutes she played, .
She finished her freshman season averaging a little more than 19 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 56% from the field. Maxwell followed that up with a 19-point, 9-rebound showing her sophomore year. She averaged more than 25 points and almost 10 rebounds as a junior and produced 24 points and 11 rebounds per game her senior season.
鈥淚f you actually saw me play and you were just watching us warm up, you wouldn鈥檛 have said, 鈥極h, yeah, that鈥檚 the best player,鈥欌�� Maxwell said. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 feel like I did anything extraordinary. I just think I had a career where I was consistent and had great teammates and coaches.鈥�
It鈥檚 hard to believe. Opposing coaches and teams certainly didn鈥檛. They tended to strongly disagree.
There鈥檚 a story Maxwell goes back to. She doesn鈥檛 remember the opponent now, but there was a quote she read one day during her playing career. Something along the lines of, 鈥淚f you want to stop New Mexico State, you stop Anita Maxwell.鈥�
Sounds about right, even if Maxwell didn鈥檛 like it.
鈥淚 felt bad about that because my teammates were threats,鈥� Maxwell said. 鈥淭hey were in college. They were Division I athletes. But there was a respect there. They saw what I was able to do and felt like they needed to put the focus on me. It was an honor 鈥� but it was a little bit embarrassing, too.鈥�
There was no reason for it to be.
New Mexico State went a combined during Maxwell鈥檚 four years, which included three straight 20-win seasons her final three. The Aggies didn鈥檛 win 20 games again until 2007-08.
A pro career followed.
Maxwell was the 29th pick in the . She played before embarking on a three-year stint overseas. Maxwell remains the program's only player to be drafted into the league.
But for all wins and the accolades Maxwell earned and received, none of it was what she enjoyed. At least, not the most. That came from those around her.
鈥淭he stuff people never see,鈥� Maxwell said. 鈥淭he craziest stuff that happens on the road trips, the songs in the locker room and on the bus. I mean, I鈥檓 a low key rapper, like an old-school 鈥�90s rapper. The days where somebody was late to practice and they had to run forever.
鈥淚t was all that. It was always just those interpersonal things, not necessarily the things on the court.鈥�
And what she did on the court was pretty good. She has the hanging jersey and all those text messages to prove it.
David Glovach covers New Mexico 近距离内射合集 and other sports for the Journal. Reach him at dglovach@abqjournal.com or via X .
