Photo by John Toles Media
Hilldale sophomore Jax Kerr finds himself in a new role with a new coach for the 2022-23 basketball season.
The new coach is long-time Fort Gibson coach Gary Hendrix, who has a strong record of developing players and Jax may be his latest project.
“Jax was a role player on what was a good Hilldale team last year,” said Hendrix. “He’s a good shooter but this year we’re asking him to expand his role. At 6-9, he’s got to not only shoot well but also improve his rebounding at both ends and handle the ball occasionally, so there’s a lot more expected of him.
“But having said that, I’ll tell you he’s coachable and has the desire to be a more well-rounded player. If he can gain some weight and strength and improve his quickness over the next couple of years, I think he’ll have a chance to be a very good basketball player and play at the next level.”
Kerr seems to recognize those facts as he dropped football this year to concentrate on his basketball. He grew up with two older brothers who played and watched Kevin Durant during his time with the Thunder.
“I’ve always just liked him because we have similar builds and I like how he shoots and dribbles,” Kerr said.
The transition from a role player to a starter with a new coach is a work in progress according to Jax.
“Our only starter from last year, Logan Harper, was hurt during football so I’ve got the most experience right now because the seniors we have didn’t play last year. So being kind of the center of things for me has been a little rocky but I think we’re getting there.
“I think there’s more discipline and sense of direction with coach Hendrix and even though we’ve lost some close games because of our inexperience, we all get along real well. There’s a good atmosphere in the locker room, and I think we all gel together well.”
Although he hasn’t seen a lot of action prior to this year, Kerr has one highlight already in his memory bank.“Last year at the Kiefer Tournament championship game I remember scoring 21 points and Ty O’Neal got his 1,000th career point and we won the tournament,” he said.
