Jackson Paveletzke’s journey is becoming more typical by the year. Not long ago, if a college basketball player played for three teams in three years, it would have been unheard of. However, the transfer portal has allowed players like Paveletzke to find a home according to need.
For Paveletzke, the transfer portal gave him the chance to play on teams and build relationships he otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to.
Paveletzke was recruited lightly out of Kimberly High School in Kimberly, Wisconsin. His father, John Paveletzke, played for Division III St. Norbert College, but as a self-described smaller and less athletic guard, Jackson’s Division I options were limited.
“I was pretty underrated (out of high school),” Paveletzke said. “I didn’t have a ton of offers. Toledo was my only (Mid-American Conference) offer, but I was between Wofford and St. Thomas.”
He ultimately decided on Wofford College, which represented the Southern Conference in the NCAA Tournament five times in a decade under now-Virginia Tech coach Mike Young. In 2019, Young was replaced by Jay McAuley, who recruited Paveletzke before being fired halfway through his freshman year.
Despite a coaching change, Paveletzke had a great year. He won SoCon Rookie of the Year, averaging 15.1 points and 3.7 assists per game, while shooting nearly 40% from three.
Paveletzke’s performance was enough to convince himself he could play at a higher level. As the transfer portal opened up, several High-Major teams seemed to agree.
“My top (six options were) Iowa State, Notre Dame, Minnesota, Ohio State, Georgia and Gonzaga,” Paveletzke said. “It was a ton of schools from all over a ton of different conferences. It was super cool to see, just working hard your entire life and then seeing that is pretty cool.”
Paveletzke’s first taste of the transfer portal was hectic. While still attending classes at Wofford, his phone was flooded with calls from coaches all across the country attempting to recruit him.
“The transfer portal was kind of nerve-wracking because you don’t know what to expect,” Paveletzke said. “Then you’ve got to build new relationships with coaches, whereas out of high school, they can recruit you for years and build that relationship … you have to make a decision within three to four weeks.”
Iowa State ended up winning the Paveletzke sweepstakes. Although he saw a dip in minutes, going from 32.9 per game as a freshman to 10.5 per game as a sophomore, Paveletzke had the chance to experience winning at the highest level and build relationships that last to this day.
“It was one of the more connected teams I’ve been on,” Paveletzke said. “We were super close on and off the court, always spending time. Just a lot of hard-working guys there. Nobody’s selfish. Everybody just cares about winning.”
This mentality was visible on the court. The Cyclones entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed, peaking as high as No. 4 in the AP Poll and making it to the Sweet 16. Paveletzke aided Iowa State to an undefeated 18-0 record at home.
The winning experience with Iowa State and the relationships he built were invaluable for Paveletzke. The one thing missing was the ability to play with the ball in his hands, leading him to enter the transfer portal once again, this time landing in Athens.
In his recruitment, Ohio coach Jeff Boals noted the success his program has had in developing and empowering point guards such as Jason Preston, Mark Sears and Jaylin Hunter. However, it was Boals’ commitment that won Paveletzke over.
“I still had a lot of schools reaching out, but I entered the portal on a Saturday or Sunday and (Boals) was up to see me that Monday morning,” Paveletzke said. “He really just made it a priority, and I heard good things about (Athens) from a couple different guys who knew the coaches, so it was really an easy decision.”
With Ohio, Paveletzke recorded career highs in all five major stat categories, as well as his first four double-doubles. Through the portal, he found what he was looking for and has blossomed accordingly.
