Stepping into a more prominent role this season paid dividends for Powell High School senior Alex Jordan, as he was named to the 3A All-State team to end his career as a Panther.

“It truly meant a lot to earn this honor. I was very blessed to be around great teammates that helped to push me,” Jordan said. “I give full credit to my coaches for putting me in positions where I was able to succeed. Without my teammates and coaches, I wouldn’t be here. They played such a huge role throughout my high school career.”

Heading into this year Jordan took on the lead role for the Panthers, making the leap from a sixth man and occasional starter scoring 7.5 points per game his junior year to the leading scorer this season, averaging just over 15 points per game while scoring 422 points total in 28 games.

“Those seniors were a huge part of that team last year, and playing with them and experiencing that type of season really helped me find the type of player I am today,” Jordan said. “I knew that I really had to step out of my comfort zone and try to be a better leader and teammate. I think that the help of AAU basketball throughout the spring and summer gave me a spark. Playing with D1 prospects from Las Vegas and actually competing with them, I was able to translate that into high school ball.”

In addition to scoring, Jordan brought in 202 rebounds (7.2 per game) while adding 49 steals (1.75 per game) to tie for the team lead.

Jordan said that his mentality this season was a big part in helping him take that next step.

“I stepped onto the court thinking this could be my last game,” Jordan said. “I didn’t want to have the regret of knowing I could have done better when I decided to be lazy. I wanted to end the season proud of myself for the way I played my game. I thought of not letting opportunities pass me, so I took practice at a game speed to execute it in game. I didn’t want all this hard work of shooting in the gym every night, missing half the summer for AAU ball and watching film to go to waste.”

One of the ways Jordan improved the most this season was with his ability to get to the basket, which he said led to him either scoring or finding a way to find an open teammate to get an easy basket for the Panthers.

“The ability to get to the basket not only helped me score points but also opened opportunities for my teammates to score points. If I could drag in a defender, then that means I have Dawson [Griffin], Evan [Whitlock], Nathan [Preator] or Taeson [Schultz] at the arc ready for a three or a dump-down pass to Jaxon [Hancock],” Jordan said. “Then, once teams started to catch onto my love for the drive, I would pull up for a jump shot before I got to the defender. I would say that having more confidence in the dribble was the most improved thing from last year. Last year, I didn’t drive much because I lost the ball, and then I lost that confidence. Coach [Waleryan Wisniewski] Wiz would put us through dribbling drills every Monday to help our dribbling, which helped me increase my confidence.”

After a strong year all-around, Jordan increased his scoring output in the postseason, including several games over 20 points in the regional and state tournaments.

“In the two games before the regionals, I felt as if I didn’t play my best basketball. I was really struggling to find a way to score and rebound and help contribute to the team,” he said. “I carried that disappointment to regionals and state. Every night when I could, I would watch the films of those two games to help build that spark back up of trying to be the best I could be. Regionals is a tough tournament, you have to win two before you lose two, or else you go home. I didn’t want to go home, I wanted another week of high school basketball.”

Jordan said this season in particular was fun for him as this group of seniors has played together since travel basketball in sixth grade.

“This team was amazing to be with. We have played basketball since sixth grade when West Hernandez coached us in little league travel basketball,” Jordan said. “We have been together all those years, playing in the backyard, playing recreational games, middle school and then high school. I was always excited for our senior year because I knew we had potential, and I knew we would grow so much closer as friends. I was glad to play with those guys during our last basketball game together — it truly meant a lot.”

He said this award will help motivate him moving forward, whether that be in athletics or his life in general.

“I think this honor will raise my confidence and work ethic to reach the next level. I see this honor as a stepping stone. I am glad that I received this honor, but I can’t say that I am satisfied,” Jordan said. “This honor will dig up and reveal more goals that I have in my sports, schooling and just life in general.”