Drexel’s Maura Hendrixson lends a helping hand on and off the court
The fifth-year senior, who averages the third-most assists in the country, is excited for Assisting Others night on Friday.
Maura Hendrixson’s Assisting Others campaign has motivated her — and now, she’s becoming known for dishing assists nationwide.
“So far, it’s been awesome,” said Hendrixson, the fifth-year Drexel guard who averages the third-most assists in Division I (7.7), ahead of Friday’s Assisting Others night. “I’ve already had 30 contributors. My goal for the campaign was to raise $3,000, and I’ve already passed that number. With the game coming up on Friday, we’ve had more people donating recently.”
The money raised will go to Mal’s Pals Foundation, a charity that raises awareness about rare diseases. Hendrixson’s close family friend, 2-year-old Connor Keenan, suffers from Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, which affects fewer than 5,000 people nationwide. Connor will be attending the Friday’s game, when conference-leading Drexel (17-5, 9-2 Colonial Athletic Association) takes on College of Charleston (9-12, 4-7).
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“I’m so excited to have Connor there for the game, and he is so excited, too,” Hendrixson said. “It is great to be able to give him these opportunities that he otherwise may not get in his life and also bring awareness to him.”
Hendrixson says Connor’s family has been overwhelmed with support.
“Everyone is so pumped,” she said. “They’re also going to be bringing extended family as well, so it’ll be great to have everyone there that I know and love, all coming out to support Connor.”
Sharing the love
Hendrixson says her on-court success this season is all thanks to her teammates.
“I’ve just been doing what I’ve been doing for the past four years,” she said. “The recognition should go out to my teammates for making the shots, because without them, it wouldn’t matter. I just set them up, and half of the time, I’m surprised they even catch my passes. It’s all thanks to them.”
Hendrixson has grown into the ultimate helper in her fifth and final year, and she credits Dragons coach Amy Mallon with setting her up for success.
“Coach told me what to do, and I’ve been doing it,” Hendrixson said. “I’m facilitating and getting those passes in, and, over time, I’ve become much more comfortable with this role, especially compared to last year.”
For her part, Mallon is seeing that experience pay off.
“To have her in that position within our team is attributed to what we do as a team and how we play,” Mallon said, “and she is doing that at such a high level.
“She has that experience to know what is going to happen in the game, and she sees things so well,” Mallon continued. “The game slows down as you age, and you really become much more comfortable out there.”
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And now, she’s garnering national attention. Hendrixson is on the top 10 list for the Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation’s top point guard.
Mallon emphasized how much that recognition means to the program.
“I’m so proud of her, especially to be a mid-major player in that list,” Mallon said.” It’s a huge accomplishment and a huge benchmark for both her and our program.”
And Hendrixson isn’t the only Dragon making headlines.
Keishana Washington, the nation’s third-leading scorer, was as one of the top 10 candidates for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award for the nation’s top shooting guard and is a semifinalist for the the Becky Hammon Award for mid-major player of the year.
“Having both her and Keishana on these lists is something that has never happened to us before,” Mallon said. “The only other schools with that are Stanford and UConn, two power schools.
“I’m just so proud of them, and our program.”