Stats Only Scratch The Surface for POTY Jaxson Gould
March 22, 2022 at 10:24 p.m.
Stats Only Scratch The Surface for POTY Jaxson Gould
By Chip Davenport-
The 6’2” Tiger guard recently finished his hoops campaign for the 16-8 orange and black squad with the following stat line:
19.7 points (per game), 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 steals, 51% shooting from two-point range, 39% three-point range shooting, 79% free throw shooting, and 841 career points.
The numbers merely scratch the surface of Gould’s ingredients comprising his successful junior season campaign. Gould’s drive, personality, and a genuine “people-person” disposition contributed to what fans see in Gould on and off the hardwood.
Fortunately, Gould is a basketball player and not a poker player. His on-court coaching, his excitement amid the basketball action, and his facial expressions wouldn’t serve him well in high stakes poker. They work well, however, on the basketball court.
A player who can adjust on the court without a coach using precious time-outs to illustrate adjustments is a highly valued asset. Warsaw head boys’ basketball coach Matt Moore appreciates this about Gould, and he sees this frequently enough on-court to the point it doesn’t surprise him.
“I get to see it every day, so for me it's not something that is a surprise when there's a moment when a decision is made quickly,” Moore said. “I think the difference between a good high school player and a great high school player is the ability to process quickly, and that is an absolute strength of Jaxson's.”
Moore realizes these on-court instincts, and Gould’s confidence directing traffic aren’t just a by-product of talent. Gould voraciously consumes game film.
“His ability to see and recognize things… or just through his study in his film,” Moore said. “It does come a lot more naturally for him, but you know it's not without work either. I think sometimes people just think other people are good at stuff, but the fact is that you go on hudl.com and see (Gould is) watching the most hours of film, and he's talking to me the most about stuff.”
Moore and Gould are similar in demeanor on court. They’re visibly and audibly competitive and intense throughout a Warsaw Tiger basketball game. The head coach realizes numerous spectators might not see, however, Gould’s presence and personality transition to a young man who genuinely loves people off-court.
Gould’s 3.93 grade-point average demonstrates his ability to consume educational information with the same enthusiasm he consumes basketball film. Gould, who has not yet picked his post-secondary academic institution, plans on majoring in pre-med biology and matriculate into medical school.
There are many student athletes with ambitious goals who are not as approachable as the affable Tiger. Gould doesn’t just give lip service to the value of relationships. He demonstrates the value he holds in them with spirit and sincerity.
“Being around my friends, being around coach, and doing other non-basketball stuff,” Gould noted, “I'm just a big relationship person, so just talking to people, getting close with them, and I enjoy spending time with them.”
The electric guard works with special needs students as a peer tutor, and his smile grew bigger when he discussed how seeing these students makes his day.
“I could have the worst day… we could lose by 30 the night before and have to run at practice, whatever, and I walk in there and I'm just happy. I hope I make their day, and make them feel good too.”
Gould’s path to peer tutoring began as a student partner on Warsaw’s unified flag football following a conversation with an athlete’s parents looking for new partners.
“The Rice family lives in my neighborhood, and Lizzie played (football) and ran track,” Gould said. “When I was a freshman Mrs. Rice talked to my mom because they needed partners for flag football. I just grew to love the kids. They just make me so happy being around them, and to give them a chance to play football, run track, and learn in the classroom.”
Gould recruited his brother, Carson, a freshman back-up point guard on this season’s Tiger squad, to join him on the gridiron with Warsaw’s unified flag football squad. The younger Gould’s comparatively even-keeled personality is also visibly brightened on the football field partnering with the athletes.
Carson – Gould the Younger per se – was recently empowered during halftime of the Tippecanoe Valley game in February when the Tigers trailed 31-25. Coach Matt Moore asked Gould’s younger brother to pick four more Tiger hoopsters to start the third period Gould the Younger believed would reverse the team’s fortunes.
Jaxson was direct when discussing what went through his mind during Carson’s locker room “draft.”
“He better pick me!” Jaxson Gould exclaimed.
Coach Moore chimed in, “I was thinking the same thing.”
The draft’s results yielded a dominant 16-2 third quarter enroute to an intra-county rivalry 56-40 win over the Vikings.
Would the late evening at home have been interesting for the brothers Gould if big brother hadn’t been drafted?
“I was pretty mad about the first half,” Gould added. “I was just disappointed how I played, and I was thinking ‘you better pick me 'cause I'm not having this,’ so I was happy when he did.”
Gould had a few classmates join him for starting roles and meaningful minutes. Russ Winchester started though most of last year’s campaign. Drew Heckaman picked up greater meaningful minutes as the 2020-2021 season progressed. Classmates Nick and Theo Katris joined them on court this recent season after years of either playing at separate elementary schools, and at separate middles schools.
He enjoyed the reunion of sorts.
“Playing with all of them this year every day was just tons of fun,” Gould said. “It was really special to me because they are my best friends. It was definitely a big highlight of the year.”
Collectively, these athletes were part of a squad who had taken more charges in two January ballgames (against Goshen and Valparaiso) than most teams take all season. The team collectively improved their defense. Gould’s improvement in this facet of the game was intentional, not merely a function of an additional year of varsity experience.
“Defensively over the summer and in the fall… I kind of took the challenge thinking, ‘I'm gonna guard people this year the way Ben Bergen guarded guys’ last year. Defense is a choice… choosing that I'm gonna get down and guard this kid.”
Gould took 17 charges this most recent season compared to 6 in his prior season.
While some exciting moments on the court appear to bond a team more tightly, it’s the greater amount of tougher drills in practice where the team’s bonds are truly formed. The Tigers have a particular drill that gets the squad communicating while they tackle it, and Gould’s leadership facilitates the bond.
“FUMA (Fork Union Military Academy) slides to begin practice,” Gould said. “It's a defensive drill. It's the first thing you do every Tuesday right after stretch so you're still getting warmed up, you’re tight, but I think the way you get through it is just talking through it with your teammates. We call all of our motions together at the same time because… it's not very fun.”
Gould, the people-person who he is, has also formed bonds with opposing players. These days, off-season AAU play and camps where players from other schools form teams, or are showcased in a bigger group, have created bonds other sports tend not to have among opposing players.
Penn junior guard Markus Burton, likely Northern Indiana’s most sought-after junior among interested college programs, and Gould battled to a season-ending Tiger sectional loss. Off the court, however, the two – who will see each other at least one more time when Penn and Warsaw meet again in January 2023 – have cultivated a strong friendship.
“I love Markus,” Gould said. “We played in the summer last year, and I'm hoping we play again this year. We’re really good friends. Obviously, he can score, and he can do anything on the basketball court. He's just a good dude. He's one of my best friends, but on the court he's the one we have to beat.”
The 2022 Times-Union Player of the Year has more layers than fans see on the basketball court. His appetite for reading matches his appetite for watching basketball game and practice film.
“You'll see full bookshelves in my room,” Gould noted. “I loved to read since middle school and elementary school. It's like books, books, books everywhere. I’m going to study pre-med biology, but I like history a lot. It’s my favorite stuff to read about, history.”
Coach Moore already notices a high social and emotional IQ in his dynamic guard, and he discussed how he could see Gould realistically using those traits to reach his post-basketball career goals. He pointed out how the Times-Union Player of the Year moves fluidly from his on-court role and persona to his off-court persona.
“Being able to separate those worlds in in a time where so much of our generation packs them together - you can't be something without being the other thing, right? – so, he gets to play basketball, but he also does a really good job of having an identity outside of (basketball). It’s why I think when he says he's gonna be a doctor, that’s realistic because you can see him being able to communicate hope to people in his mid-30s.”
Gould’s stats earned him this year’s Times-Union honors, but what he does on the court is a by-product of numerous things he does and who he is off the court.
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The 6’2” Tiger guard recently finished his hoops campaign for the 16-8 orange and black squad with the following stat line:
19.7 points (per game), 5.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 steals, 51% shooting from two-point range, 39% three-point range shooting, 79% free throw shooting, and 841 career points.
The numbers merely scratch the surface of Gould’s ingredients comprising his successful junior season campaign. Gould’s drive, personality, and a genuine “people-person” disposition contributed to what fans see in Gould on and off the hardwood.
Fortunately, Gould is a basketball player and not a poker player. His on-court coaching, his excitement amid the basketball action, and his facial expressions wouldn’t serve him well in high stakes poker. They work well, however, on the basketball court.
A player who can adjust on the court without a coach using precious time-outs to illustrate adjustments is a highly valued asset. Warsaw head boys’ basketball coach Matt Moore appreciates this about Gould, and he sees this frequently enough on-court to the point it doesn’t surprise him.
“I get to see it every day, so for me it's not something that is a surprise when there's a moment when a decision is made quickly,” Moore said. “I think the difference between a good high school player and a great high school player is the ability to process quickly, and that is an absolute strength of Jaxson's.”
Moore realizes these on-court instincts, and Gould’s confidence directing traffic aren’t just a by-product of talent. Gould voraciously consumes game film.
“His ability to see and recognize things… or just through his study in his film,” Moore said. “It does come a lot more naturally for him, but you know it's not without work either. I think sometimes people just think other people are good at stuff, but the fact is that you go on hudl.com and see (Gould is) watching the most hours of film, and he's talking to me the most about stuff.”
Moore and Gould are similar in demeanor on court. They’re visibly and audibly competitive and intense throughout a Warsaw Tiger basketball game. The head coach realizes numerous spectators might not see, however, Gould’s presence and personality transition to a young man who genuinely loves people off-court.
Gould’s 3.93 grade-point average demonstrates his ability to consume educational information with the same enthusiasm he consumes basketball film. Gould, who has not yet picked his post-secondary academic institution, plans on majoring in pre-med biology and matriculate into medical school.
There are many student athletes with ambitious goals who are not as approachable as the affable Tiger. Gould doesn’t just give lip service to the value of relationships. He demonstrates the value he holds in them with spirit and sincerity.
“Being around my friends, being around coach, and doing other non-basketball stuff,” Gould noted, “I'm just a big relationship person, so just talking to people, getting close with them, and I enjoy spending time with them.”
The electric guard works with special needs students as a peer tutor, and his smile grew bigger when he discussed how seeing these students makes his day.
“I could have the worst day… we could lose by 30 the night before and have to run at practice, whatever, and I walk in there and I'm just happy. I hope I make their day, and make them feel good too.”
Gould’s path to peer tutoring began as a student partner on Warsaw’s unified flag football following a conversation with an athlete’s parents looking for new partners.
“The Rice family lives in my neighborhood, and Lizzie played (football) and ran track,” Gould said. “When I was a freshman Mrs. Rice talked to my mom because they needed partners for flag football. I just grew to love the kids. They just make me so happy being around them, and to give them a chance to play football, run track, and learn in the classroom.”
Gould recruited his brother, Carson, a freshman back-up point guard on this season’s Tiger squad, to join him on the gridiron with Warsaw’s unified flag football squad. The younger Gould’s comparatively even-keeled personality is also visibly brightened on the football field partnering with the athletes.
Carson – Gould the Younger per se – was recently empowered during halftime of the Tippecanoe Valley game in February when the Tigers trailed 31-25. Coach Matt Moore asked Gould’s younger brother to pick four more Tiger hoopsters to start the third period Gould the Younger believed would reverse the team’s fortunes.
Jaxson was direct when discussing what went through his mind during Carson’s locker room “draft.”
“He better pick me!” Jaxson Gould exclaimed.
Coach Moore chimed in, “I was thinking the same thing.”
The draft’s results yielded a dominant 16-2 third quarter enroute to an intra-county rivalry 56-40 win over the Vikings.
Would the late evening at home have been interesting for the brothers Gould if big brother hadn’t been drafted?
“I was pretty mad about the first half,” Gould added. “I was just disappointed how I played, and I was thinking ‘you better pick me 'cause I'm not having this,’ so I was happy when he did.”
Gould had a few classmates join him for starting roles and meaningful minutes. Russ Winchester started though most of last year’s campaign. Drew Heckaman picked up greater meaningful minutes as the 2020-2021 season progressed. Classmates Nick and Theo Katris joined them on court this recent season after years of either playing at separate elementary schools, and at separate middles schools.
He enjoyed the reunion of sorts.
“Playing with all of them this year every day was just tons of fun,” Gould said. “It was really special to me because they are my best friends. It was definitely a big highlight of the year.”
Collectively, these athletes were part of a squad who had taken more charges in two January ballgames (against Goshen and Valparaiso) than most teams take all season. The team collectively improved their defense. Gould’s improvement in this facet of the game was intentional, not merely a function of an additional year of varsity experience.
“Defensively over the summer and in the fall… I kind of took the challenge thinking, ‘I'm gonna guard people this year the way Ben Bergen guarded guys’ last year. Defense is a choice… choosing that I'm gonna get down and guard this kid.”
Gould took 17 charges this most recent season compared to 6 in his prior season.
While some exciting moments on the court appear to bond a team more tightly, it’s the greater amount of tougher drills in practice where the team’s bonds are truly formed. The Tigers have a particular drill that gets the squad communicating while they tackle it, and Gould’s leadership facilitates the bond.
“FUMA (Fork Union Military Academy) slides to begin practice,” Gould said. “It's a defensive drill. It's the first thing you do every Tuesday right after stretch so you're still getting warmed up, you’re tight, but I think the way you get through it is just talking through it with your teammates. We call all of our motions together at the same time because… it's not very fun.”
Gould, the people-person who he is, has also formed bonds with opposing players. These days, off-season AAU play and camps where players from other schools form teams, or are showcased in a bigger group, have created bonds other sports tend not to have among opposing players.
Penn junior guard Markus Burton, likely Northern Indiana’s most sought-after junior among interested college programs, and Gould battled to a season-ending Tiger sectional loss. Off the court, however, the two – who will see each other at least one more time when Penn and Warsaw meet again in January 2023 – have cultivated a strong friendship.
“I love Markus,” Gould said. “We played in the summer last year, and I'm hoping we play again this year. We’re really good friends. Obviously, he can score, and he can do anything on the basketball court. He's just a good dude. He's one of my best friends, but on the court he's the one we have to beat.”
The 2022 Times-Union Player of the Year has more layers than fans see on the basketball court. His appetite for reading matches his appetite for watching basketball game and practice film.
“You'll see full bookshelves in my room,” Gould noted. “I loved to read since middle school and elementary school. It's like books, books, books everywhere. I’m going to study pre-med biology, but I like history a lot. It’s my favorite stuff to read about, history.”
Coach Moore already notices a high social and emotional IQ in his dynamic guard, and he discussed how he could see Gould realistically using those traits to reach his post-basketball career goals. He pointed out how the Times-Union Player of the Year moves fluidly from his on-court role and persona to his off-court persona.
“Being able to separate those worlds in in a time where so much of our generation packs them together - you can't be something without being the other thing, right? – so, he gets to play basketball, but he also does a really good job of having an identity outside of (basketball). It’s why I think when he says he's gonna be a doctor, that’s realistic because you can see him being able to communicate hope to people in his mid-30s.”
Gould’s stats earned him this year’s Times-Union honors, but what he does on the court is a by-product of numerous things he does and who he is off the court.
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