Maggie Guynn Feature in Latest Concord Alumni Magazine

Editor's Note: The feature below was released in the Summer 2023 Edition of the Concord Alumni Magazine. To check out the online edition of the magazine, click here. 

The orange roundball can take a person on a path they never dreamed of.

For Maggie Guynn, the journey began in the small Virginia community of Pearisburg—a place perfectly suited for a young lady described by those who know her as "a country girl and a southern belle who loves her family."

Guynn became a standout on the basketball hardwood at Narrows High School and as time past became a household name on the recruiting circuits for local colleges.

And as time past again, the decision for Guynn to attend college became fairly easy as she brought her talents to Concord in August 2018.

The quiet, bright-eyed 18-year freshman quickly became a prominent player for not only a successful program in Athens, but one of the top players in the Mountain East Conference—and it almost seemingly happened overnight.

Then, she began to climb the record books at Concord and got to 1,000 points in November 2021. The accolades kept rolling in for a girl that went to a high school where the enrollment is less than 300.

Guynn became a two-time all-conference selection, and played on some of the most successful teams Concord women's basketball had ever seen early in her career.

And as time ticked away, even though it like the clock froze at the start of the pandemic, it had now come time for Guynn to be the recognizable leader of a program that had enjoyed three consecutive 20-win seasons prior to the season starting in November.

That's where the story of Maggie Guynn really begins.

Already a diploma in hand, Guynn made the choice to return for her fifth season of college basketball—a rule put in by the NCAA for athletes that had playing time and careers affected by the pandemic.

"Using my fifth year was never question," Guynn said. "I saw it as an opportunity to play the sport that I love for another year."

Some of her teammates jokingly call Guynn the grandma of the team, and maybe they view it that way because of her early bedtime routine, but the story could be painted as "grandma always knows best."

And after 134 games in the Maroon and Gray, Guynn has nearly done it all and seen in all.

"I would say I've grown in many ways, but most importantly I think I've built some great relationships, whether that be with my coaches, my professors, my teammates, really just everybody on campus," Guynn said.  

"I love my team. I love my coaches. The preseason that we had it made us grow because it was difficult. We were always there to pick each other up. On and off the floor, I just love that I got to end my career with my teammates."

Her coaches see Guynn as a person that athletes gravitate to, much like a younger generation being a magnet to their grandmother.

"Maggie is infectious—her smile brings a positive energy to the room," first-year Concord head coach Tesla Southcott said. "Her work ethic bleeds off onto other players. She's a southern belle type and a country girl that really loves her family and really loves Concord women's basketball and loves Concord in general.

"Infectious is a good word because you see her loving personality that she's very genuine," Southcott continued. "I also think you also see that hard work and dedication behind her love for the game and love for life."
 

Southcott's relationship with Maggie predates her time on the court at the Carter Center as she has known the Guynn family from her own days chasing the roundball dream with Maggie's older sister, Andi, in travel tournaments more than a decade ago.

Now, it's more clear as to why Guynn found it easy to adjust to the Concord campus.

Guynn and her head coach took a similar path to the top rung of the leadership ladder within the Concord women's basketball program. Southcott spent eight years as an assistant on the CU bench before assuming the head coaching role at the same time Guynn was taking on a new title on the team, senior leader.

"Maggie Guynn as both a person and player has a lot of dedication," Southcott said. "She's always persevered through obstacles and anything thrown her way. She loves to work out and improve her game anyway she can. She helped our team improve each day as someone that was here for five years."

Guynn finished her career in March as one of the top 10 scorers in program history (1,591) and played in the most games at Concord.

During her final season, the player with the most seniority not only at Concord, but also among active players in the MEC, averaged nearly 11 points per game. But, the most critical shots of the season, and maybe her career, came with no one guarding her.

In overtime of the MEC Tournament Quarterfinals, and Concord trying to spring an upset of second-seeded West Virginia State, there was Guynn right in her element—lining up her feet and staring at the 10-foot rim like they were old acquaintances.

"Maggie Guynn has led the conference or been in the top five her whole career for foul shooting," Southcott explained after the upset win, as Guynn knocked down all six free throws in the closing minute of overtime for an 86-83 win

"Our kids know that at the end of the game we want the ball in Maggie's hands. She's got ice in her veins. I don't know what it is. It might be 100 free throws a day in Narrows (High School) gym.

 "She lives and breathes basketball. It doesn't matter if we're in WesBanco Arena or Athens, West Virginia that kid is going to hit her foul shots," Southcott continued. "That's a five-year player showing leadership, wanting the basketball in her hands."

Guynn attributes her success over the last five years to mainly two things, "my parents setting me up for every opportunity of success—taking me to travel ball in Bristol which was two hours away, four days a week," she said. "They wanted me to reach my goals, and I'm so thankful to have had parents like that and helped me be a college athlete."

And the countless hours where it all began. "It doesn't stop, in the summer, when you're tired. When everyone else is at a baseball game or at the beach on summer vacation, you're in the gym. That's just how it goes," Guynn said matter-of-factly.

"I'm where I'm at today because of the hard work and dedication and love that everyone has shown me. All of that has pushed me. When you have people supporting you, it makes you want to be the best version of yourself. That's on and off the court. I've learned so many life lessons because of basketball—that's something that's really special to me."

And when the marathon of a career had suddenly reached the finish in what felt like the blink of an eye, Guynn embraced what that little girl in rural southwestern Virginia dreamed of so many years ago.

"I just wanted to remember my last year giving everything I had, whether it was scoring a bunch of points or picking my teammates up off the floor," Guynn said as she began to get emotional while clutching onto on her jersey.  

"I'm just so thankful to wear this jersey, so thankful for the last five years and for Coach (Southcott) and all my teammates because they are the reason I'm the person I am today."