Recruiting Update: Jacob Axmaker (2022 Stayton)

<p>[player_tooltip player_id="964555" first="Jacob" last="Axmaker"] has gotten used to the defensive attention on the basketball court. The sharp-shooting 6-foot, 170-pound combo guard knows he’ll face junk defenses and in-your-face coverage every night, mainly because of his ability to really knock shots down from long range. That led to him focusing on improving different aspects to his game, like getting to the basket. That involved some definite changes, what would he say he’s modified the most?</p> <p>"Probably handling contact - I played football and that helped a lot," Axmaker said. "Absorbing contact and getting hit by people, I got bumps and bruises so now on the court it doesn’t affect me at all. I just run through it."</p> <p>The results have been clear on the hardwood. His improved ability to get into the lane and finish has opened up the entire floor for him, and through 8 games he’s averaging 27.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.6 steals while helping Stayton to a 7-1 record. College programs have noticed too. He’s picked up a scholarship offer from NAIA program Jamestown (ND) and a roster spot offer from Pacific Lutheran. He noted that he talks to Linfield on a daily basis and other schools such as the College of Idaho, Iowa Lakes CC, and Western Wyoming have been in touch.</p> <p>Axmaker made some campus visits to Linfield and Pacific Lutheran this fall, and also made the trip to visit Jamestown. "I loved it," Axmaker said. "hey’ve got really cold weather - it was negative degrees at night - but it was a cool place. They’ve got great facilities and a great coaching staff and I feel like I fit in really well there with their offense."</p> <p>While Axmaker enjoyed his trip, he’s waiting things out with his recruitment, hoping to accumulate more film to send out to college programs. "I’m wide open," Axmaker said. "I want to wait until the end of the season to see if I can get more offers, then I’m hoping to decide either spring or beginning of the summer. I’ll probably play another AAU season and then make a commitment after that."</p> <p>For now, the rest of the season awaits as Stayton hopes to continue their run at the top. "I think we have a bright future," Axmaker said. "We’ve adjusted to our offense and we’re putting on a good defensive show. Hopefully we’ll get a top three finish state - that’s the goal."</p> <p>Axmaker currently ranks as the #31 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2022 rankings.</p>