WEST PORTSMOUTH — Portsmouth West senior Maelynn Howell — a two-time all-Ohioan who averaged nearly a double during her final season as a Lady Senator — signed to continue her education and basketball career at Shawnee State University on Tuesday inside the PWHS library.

In addition to her four years as a Lady Senator girls basketball player, Howell was a four-year member of the volleyball team and played on the softball team her sophomore year.

The transition to Shawnee following her graduation will a short one for Howell, as she’s been attending SSU college classes since her junior year.

“It feels pretty good, especially to stay home and hopefully have everyone come watch. Overall it’s pretty exciting.”

Howell was a starter for the Lady Senators’ historic 2022-23 team which won the program’s first Southern Ohio Conference Division II title, Division III district championship, and finished as D-III, Region 11 runner-up.

“I’ve always thought about playing a college sport, I didn’t know which one. Coach (Larry) Howell made me love basketball even more than I did before, so I decided to pick basketball. It was pretty exciting,” Howell said, of the team’s run. “Everyone in the community can probably say that. I knew we were good, I didn’t know we’d go that far. The past four years has changed me a lot as a person — it’s taught me a lot about life and basketball, it comes with challenges but a lot of positive s”

In addition to her offer from SSU, Howell received offers from Ohio Wesleyan University, Muskingum University, and Kentucky Christian University for women’s basketball, Shawnee State for volleyball.

In the end, it was the closeness to home and team-based atmosphere of the SSU women’s program that led her to staying in Scioto County and playing for Coach DeWayne Burroughs and his staff.

“Talking to him about playing at Shawnee, the atmosphere with what he talked about is great,” Howell said. “They’re a family, that’s something I want as a student-athlete — to have the support.”

Howell will also get to play with her Lady Senator teammate Lexi Deaver, who signed with the SSU women’s program on Friday.

“It’s pretty exciting because we have a lot of chemsitry together, we’ve played with each other since second grade.”

Howell thanked her teammates, family, and friends for their support of her next step in life at her signing.

“The support is felt, I love them all,” she said. “It warms my heart seeing all the people that showed up just to see me go to the next level.”

Reach Jacob Smith at (740) 370-0713 ext. 1930, by email at [email protected], or on Twitter @JacobSmithPDT © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved