Recruiting Update – Jaxon Lawson (2026 Canby)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to believe, but we've reached the senior season for [player_tooltip player_id='1951856' first='Jaxon' last='Lawson']. The quick 6-foot guard was handed the keys in the starting lineup from day one, and this is the year for him the Cougars. In order to best prepare to lead his team to arguably the greatest season in school history, Lawson buckled down this off-season. He suited up and showed up starting in club ball, knowing that would not only help his development but have fun with it as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"For AAU I played with Rotary Rebels, so I was playing on the EYBL circuit and that was a fun summer," Lawson said. "It was definitely different - the competition is way better and I learned there's different levels to the game going outside of it. Big men are actually big there and no matter how talented you are, everybody can score. You just got to stand out in a different way."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Lawson, that's where his strengths of pushing the ball up the court and finding the open man were able to showcase his game. The opportunity to play against the top-level competition also accentuated what he had been focusing on improving. "I've been really working on my ball handling and shooting and I feel like that's going to make a big difference in my game this year," Lawson said. "That (along with) change of direction and speed and stuff like that."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This fall, the work has continued as Lawson has been attending a number of college elite camps, including Portland State and Western Oregon, and he also attended his final PrepHoops event with The Expo: Oregon. "It was really fun and I got to play some good competition," Lawson said. I'm about to showcase what I do best and show people what I did in the offseason."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>College programs monitored Lawson's growth this summer and he's already picked up his first scholarship offer from Southern Oregon. "I went down there for an open gym and played good enough to get that offer," Lawson said. "That was truly a blessing and a weight lifted off the shoulders. I really like the coach. I really like the school - it's a really good school. They're the first school to believe in me and I'm going to be a little biased towards them."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawson indicated he's also heard from George Fox, Corban, and Pacific as well as some from OIT. His current plan is to play out the 2025-26 season and see where things are at in the spring. "I'm looking somewhere to have my major - I'm between being a marine biologist or culinary, one of those two. So I want a school to have that major and to believe in me, coach me and get me ready to either transfer up or help me make it to the league."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With his senior season quickly approaching, Lawson shed his thoughts on Canby and a bit on something new for the Cougars this season - expectations. "I'm really excited for this season and I feel like we're better than last year," Lawson said. "We only lost two guys and I think we're even better and we're a championship team this year. For sure we're going to have a target on our back and Canby is going to be the team to beat this year, but we proved that we're, if not the top team, one of the top three teams in the state for five years."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And what will it take for Canby to take it all the way? "I think we have to stay disciplined the whole year and not let politics and stuff get to us," Lawson said. Just play our game, play team basketball like we did towards the end of the season."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawson ranks as the #5 player in the recently updated Class of 2026 rankings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->