Prospect Spotlight: Jaxon Kohler (2022)
Jaxon Kohler hasn’t even played a second of high school hoops, but he’s already got a Division I offer to his name.
The 6-foot-7 power forward was pegged as a premier prospect in Utah’s 2022 class very early in his hoops career. And Southern Utah officially made him a D1 prospect when they offered him at the end of his eighth grade year.
The freshman-to-be has an old-school feel to his game, and likened his skill-set to a couple legendary throwback big-men.
“My game is definitely in the post, and I like to have an impact by rebounding and just posting up, back-to-the basket kind of stuff,” said Kohler. “Like Kevin McHale and Hakeem Olajuwon type stuff.”
When we spoke with Kohler, he was just getting to North Carolina, where he’ll be competing in the CP3 Rising Stars Camp. He spent the rest of his spring and summer playing Vegas Prospects 15U and he played in some 17U tournaments with a Lone Peak grassroots team.
He’s certainly been staying busy.
“In my opinion, I think Vegas Prospects was so good to us. Playing with a Nike team is a whole new level. Nike is so well known,” said Kohler. “And playing with the older (Lone Peak) kids was better for my game because the physicality was so much different and everybody’s basketball IQ is so much higher.”
As for next season, Kohler hasn’t yet decided where he’ll play his high school ball. It’s between Wasatch Academy or Lone Peak as of right now. He says he’ll probably make that decision next week.
Regardless of which program he lands with, there’s sure to be plenty of eyes on the burgeoning big-man over the next four years.
In addition to the SUU offer, there’s already been some high-major D1s that have been keeping tabs on him.
“We heard Arizona was interested, and Creighton. St Mary’s was last interested, and Utah,” said Kohler, who’s taking it all in stride right now.
“For college level, I’ve never really thought about it, I’ve never had a school that I really wanted to go to. But, if I were to say anything, it’d be just wherever is a good fit.”