Noble's Jason Maxwell – Driven Athlete of the Month sponsored by Landers Auto

Written by Kelsey Baucom

Jason Maxwell is currently a point guard for Noble High School. When he first began showing desire to play basketball about nine years ago, his dad helped him get started, coaching him the first few years that he played.

Aside from his father, Maxwell has had many influences in basketball, but he says that two of his coaches stand out in his mind.

“My 5th and 6th grade coach, Scott Millett, was always pushing me to become better,” he said. “He helped develop skills that are needed to be a good point guard – taking care of the ball, being a leader, making free throws, etc.”

Another person of influence was the assistant coach during Maxwell’s freshman and sophomore years.

“He stayed late after practice with me to work on dribbling or shooting,” he said. “My favorite thing that he ever said to me was to not be afraid to make mistakes because those are how to get better. That lifted a burden of me trying to be the ‘perfect guard’ with no turnovers ever. It allowed me to play freely and attack the defense.”

His current coach at Noble, Chad Byrd, now sees his hard work firsthand.

“Jason is a great kid,” said Coach Byrd. “He is a leader with much determination. He stays after practice every day, shoots, and conditions on his own.”

The commitment Maxwell makes to basketball is also evident in other areas of his life. The sport has taught him discipline, and showed him that he will get out what he puts in.

“The main thing that I’ve learned through sports that applies to anything and everything is hard work,” he said. “To be good at anything, you have to put in the work with nobody watching. Staying after practice to practice more has been the most beneficial action of my life. It’s taught me how to stay up late and do homework. It’s taught me how to give myself fully to my faith. It’s taught me how to stay humble because no matter how hard I work, I know someone is working harder. So, playing basketball has taught me that I have to sacrifice the pain of the now for the rewards of the future.”