Jackson Paveletzke shined at Kimberly High school and ended up going to Wofford to play college basketball this past season.
After winning SOCON Freshman of the year there, and with some turmoil around the program, Paveletzke entered the transfer portal last month. On Monday, he committed to Iowa State.
“The first time I stepped on (the Iowa State) campus it felt like a fit to me and all the great guys and teammates around me – I was ready to lock it in,” Paveletzke said.
It was a tough decision for Paveletzke to depart the Wofford basketball program. Especially to leave his teammates behind. However, he will cherish the time he had there.
“I look at it as a kind of blessing,” he said. “I really got to go there and show my talents and show who I really was. The bigger schools kind of took notice and a lot people took notice throughout the year and it was something that I really, really enjoyed and it was kind of big for me and my development.”
The Kimberly grad admits he's always been underrated, but it’s driven him to put in all the hard work to get where he is now.
“That’s just a credit to all the people around me,” said the Iowa State commit. “My family and my trainer who put me in position and helped me. My teammates and my coaching staff that really allowed me to go out there and do my thing. It feels good to see the hard work pay off. It’s awesome.”
After averaging 15 points per game, on 49 percent shooting from the floor and winning conference freshman of the year, once he entered the portal a long list of schools came calling.
“I entered in the morning and then I had class from 9:30 to 12:30, so I wasn’t really on my phone for 3 hours and then I went back to my phone after class and stuff and I was on the phone all day catching up with phone calls and text messages,” said Paveletzke. “It was crazy to see all the schools, but it’s a credit to my hard work.”
But one school stood out the most, the Iowa State Cyclones. They’re coached by T.J. Otzelberger, a Wisconsin native.
“Once their season ended, a day or two after, he was flying up to see me,” said Paveletzke. “He flew up to see my family a couple of times. He flew up to see me at college and when I was home. I could see from the jump the want for me. I really gravitated towards TJ, because that dude is a hard worker and he really cares about his guys. I really just felt super comfortable with him.”
They envision Paveletzke providing the program with what he does best, putting the ball through the hoop.
“They lost a lot of scoring,” he said. “They kind of see me coming in there and being the combo guard type guy, playing on or off the ball and scoring. Playmaking is something they see in me and I think I do that well.”
Now, he’ll play in what he calls the best conference in the country in the Big 12 where he hopes the program can achieve some big accomplishments.
“Trying to win a Big 12 championship and going to the NCAA tournament has always been a dream of mine and I’m looking for that to come true,” said the new Cyclones guard.
