Male Basketball Player of the Week (February 20): Prosper’s Jaxson Ford

Click here to see the Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.

Prosper’s Jaxson Ford

What he did: Ford averaged 17.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks as Prosper went 2-0 last week, wins the Eagles needed to qualify for the playoffs. He scored 17 points in a 73-67 victory at Denton Guyer – a 29-5 team ranked No. 6 in The Dallas Morning News Ranking Class 6A area and No. 10 in the TABC 6A State Rankings – Tuesday, including a key 3-pointer as time expired late in the third quarter to give his team a 54- lead 40. Ford scored 18 points in Prosper’s 53-43 victory over Denton Braswell in Thursday’s tiebreaker for fourth in the 5-6A District at the Frisco Memorial.

Who is he: A 6-foot-7 sophomore forward. Ford receives a recruiting interest from Butler University.

Statistics : Ford is averaging 10.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the field in 13 games this season. Ford missed Prosper’s first 21 games this season with a sports hernia. He helped Prosper compile a 19-15 record. Prosper will face Plano (32-0) — ranked No. 4 in the region and No. 8 in the state — in a Class 6A bi-district playoff game Monday at Allen.

He said it : “The 3-pointer at the end of the third against Guyer was my favorite moment this week. He ended the quarter on a high note. I was happy with the way I played defense in our defensive half this week. I felt like I helped the team, and I didn’t want the season to end… When I was recovering from my hernia operation, I really worked on my shooting. My mid-range shots improved and I extended my range to three shots.

The coach said it: “I will remember his defensive game against Guyer. We had him assigned to guard KyeRon Lindsay and I thought Jaxson had done a good job getting rebounds and playing defensively against him. Jaxson is good at getting rebounds, but I think what people overlook is his passing,” —Jonathan Ellis.

Lindsay, who averages 23.4 points per game, scored 16 points.

Did you know? Ford started playing basketball when he was in first grade and at McGowen Elementary School in McKinney. He was inspired by his older brother Jayden, a former multi-sport player from Prosper who played college football at Henderson State… Ford’s favorite course in school is math, especially geometry… Once his playing days finished, Ford wants to be a basketball coach, whether in the NBA or at the college level… Ford’s favorite meal is ribs with fries and lemonade. … Ford’s favorite athlete is his father Kelvin Ford, who played football for the University of Missouri in the 90s.

Honorable mention

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