Jaxon Pardon and his family have pretty fond memories of Bowling Green State University and its men’s basketball program.

They can’t wait to make new ones in the coming years.

Pardon, the son of former Falcons standout Brandon Pardon, verbally committed to continue his basketball career at BGSU earlier this month. The 6-foot-4 senior from Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., is the first commit in the 2024 class for first-year BGSU coach Todd Simon.

“It’s definitely been really exciting, a really exciting recruitment journey,” Jaxon Pardon said. “Growing up, I’ve always wanted to play Division I basketball, and for it to be somewhere where my family’s so connected is definitely something I’m looking forward to.”

The amount of basketball talent in the Pardon household is certainly aplenty. With Jaxon, BGSU will be getting a versatile guard who can score in traffic, knock down 3-pointers, and push the pace — all of which should bode well in Simon’s up-tempo and high-scoring offense.

As a junior, Pardon averaged 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in earning first-team all-Summit Athletic Conference, as well as honorable mention all-state from the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. He tallied 12.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per contest as a sophomore.

Ryan Abbott, who has coached Carroll for the past two seasons, said Pardon’s ability to find the bottom of the net stands out. He also excels defensively — Pardon drew 21 charges the past two seasons.

“Unbelievable ability to get his shot off and I think in the college game, with that shot clock ticking down and you have to get a quality shot up and be able to put some points on the board, Jaxon has that ability,” Abbott said. “... He’s able to get to the rim and finish, able to get to the free-throw line and score, and Jaxon’s best asset offensively is when there is space.

“And in transition the way coach Simon’s going to play and the way we play here at Carroll, when you get Jaxon out in space, boy he is a lot to handle with his ability to get to the hoop and make tough shots from the perimeter.”

Brandon Pardon had a knack for excelling on the hardwood back in his heyday, as well.

The 1997 Division IV player of the year who helped Lincolnview High School in Van Wert win an OHSAA state championship, Pardon played at BGSU from 1999 to 2002 after starting his career at Wright State. His 209 assists as a senior and 204 as a junior rank fourth and fifth all time for assists in a season in BGSU history, while his 529 career assists as a Falcon rank third. Pardon’s 40.9 career 3-point field goal percentage is sixth in school history, and he also earned honorable mention in the Mid-American Conference his final campaign.

“My dad’s always been a role model to me, so growing up, he would always work with me to be the best person I can be,” Jaxon Pardon said. “I would say he jokes with me a lot now that I’m committed there, but chasing some of his records that he may have, it’ll be exciting to get there.”

Getting to know the new coaching staff at BGSU has been important for the Pardons since Simon took over in March. Brandon Pardon said he went to Simon’s introductory press conference at the Stroh Center and got to chat with him.

Jaxon Pardon had a noteworthy summer on the AAU circuit, as well as the Charlie Hughes Shootout in Indiana that featured dozens of high school teams from the state. The BGSU coaching staff kept in touch with him before extending a scholarship offer — Pardon’s first from a Division I program — in late June.

“When coach Simon actually offered Jaxon, we were fortunate, my wife and I were able to be there at that moment,” Brandon Pardon said. “We got off the phone, and to see the look on his face, he was emotional. I was obviously emotional. He gave me one of the biggest hugs… I knew that’s where he was going at that moment.”

Jaxon Pardon agreed that it was a moment he and his family won’t forget.

“I would say it was just really emotional throughout my whole family,” he said. “We always talked about it happening at some point, hopefully someday, and for that all to come true, it was just a crazy moment. I wasn’t expecting it at the time, so it felt good.”

Pardon, who announced his commitment on social media on Aug. 4, said BGSU felt like home when he went on his visits.

“Just talking to [Simon] over the phone has been great, and then going on my visits, they always treated me like I was already there, which is something that I was looking for and a place I could call home and feel like home for the next four years,” Pardon said. “Even though it’s a new coaching staff, they’re a young staff that were very energetic and they just want to win, and they have my exact play style, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Pardon, who grew up in Florida before moving to Fort Wayne in the fifth grade, has been to several BGSU games over the years. The Falcons’ upset over nationally-ranked Buffalo in front of a jam-packed home crowd in February 2019 stands out the most to him.

Getting to go from the Stroh Center stands to the court will be satisfying for Pardon when he arrives on campus next year.

“He’s wanted to be a Falcon since he’s been six years old,” Brandon Pardon said. “To have an opportunity to see that happen and come full circle, it still doesn’t seem real.

“I’m just so excited for him because I know the work that he’s put in, but it’s his story too. It’s great that dad played there, but he’s earned everything and just to put himself in the situation. I’m really happy for him.”

First Published August 27, 2023, 10:24 p.m.