The 5’10 senior PG is the ultimate gym rat. He has a passion of the game and enjoys playing and that’s exactly the way it should be. For players like Daxton Bostian, they simply appreciate the opportunity to play a game they love. At the Phenom Hoop Report, we’ve had the honor and pleasure of tracking the development and progress of this outstanding young man. To put it bluntly, Daston Bostian is what’s good about youth sports.
We first watched Bostian two years ago when he attended the NC Phenom 150 camp. We wrote, “Bostian is a solid PG who plays within himself and runs a team. He showed good ability off ball screens looking for open teammates or an opportunity for an open jump shot. Bostian makes good decisions in transition and is too unselfish at time. He appears to be the idea team mate.”
Last year, we watched Bostian play for Patton HS out of Morganton, NC. Daxton displayed excellent vertical quickness handling the ball. He sits low to the floor in this dribbling stance making him difficult to guard. Daxton’s cross over move is low and quick and allows him to get by bigger and stronger defenders. He gets into the lane with ease and has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble, utilize a floater or kick out to an open teammate.
What’s impressive about Daxton is his all out effort! While he is crafty and cagey with the ball in his hands, he plays with a high motor. Daxton is excellent in using the pump fakes and head fakes getting defenders to leave their feet. Unlike most point guards, Daxton moves extremely well without the ball. He is in constant movement making back door cuts and faking one way and going another.
This past summer, we watched Bostian play for Team Vision and again he demonstrated the same strong attributes showcased in our camp and for his high school team. Phenom staff writer Kyle Ellis stated, “Daxton Bostian might have been the most pure 3-pointer that we have seen over the course of the summer. When we say my man didn’t miss, we mean he actually didn’t miss. Three after three, Bostian found a way to get a shot off. Despite being double teamed throughout the course of several games, this kid always found a way to knock down anything he put up.”
Now, let’s fast-forward to Friday night (December 11, 2015) Bostian achieved a milestone that every high school player dreams about. He scored his 1000th career point against AC Reynolds of Asheville. In addition to scoring his 1000th career point, he also hit the game winner for the 4-2 Patton. For the season, Bostian is averaging 18.2 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 4.4 APG, and 2.4 SPG. More importantly, he carried an impressive 4.0-weighted GPA in the classroom. And to top it all off, Bostian signed his L.O.I. to Milligan College (NAIA D2 school) on the bus in front of his teammates and coaches.
While schools like Milligan College are not household names when it comes to collegiate sports, players like Daxton Bostian are actually more of the norm than the exception. Bostian is playing a game he loves and enjoys, but more importantly he is getting a free college education. He is using the game of basketball as a means to better himself personally. Doing it all for the love of them game!