“I feel like that’s always been my best skill,” he said. “Even when I was in third grade, I could always shoot better than everyone. So I tried to build my game around that.”
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Boschee is more than just the son of Bemidji State men’s basketball head coach Mike Boschee. The 6-foot-2 guard has made a name for himself as arguably the most dangerous lumberjack on the court. Last season, he routinely scored 20, 30 and even 40 points in games as the Jacks went 15-11 in the regular season.
“Jaxon is an exceptional shooter, probably the best shooter I’ve ever coached,” head coach Steve Thompson said. “He can make shots from anywhere on the court. It’s hard for him to defend when you can stretch the court like he can.”
There is no doubt that Boschee is one of the most prolific scorers in the history of programmatic basketball. This season, however, he has a chance to make history. He scored the second-most points while wearing a BHS uniform and has a real shot at breaking the school’s scoring record.
Veteran teammates like Jeron Huseby are happy to only have to face him in training.
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“It’s crazy to have someone like him on our team,” Huseby said. “I mean, he goes for the school record. It’s really nice to have someone like that who can score at will when you need him to.”
Boschee will be relied upon as a consistent scorer as the Jacks navigate a revamped Section 8-4A. With Sartell, Buffalo and Sauk Rapids-Rice out of the section, Alexandria and Monticello moved when the Minnesota State High School League conducted its competitive sectional realignment.
Alexandria went 29-3 in Section 8-3A last season, helped in large part by Chase Thompson, who was recruited to play Division I basketball at Clemson. Monticello, meanwhile, went 24-5 last season in Section 5-3A. Both teams defeated the Jacks last season.
Bemidji has not had a winning record against section opponents since 2021-22, going 3-2.
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Even with section stalwarts like St. Michael-Albertville and Moorhead, Thompson believes in this year’s team as they open the season at St. Cloud Apollo on Dec. 2.
“I like the makeup of this group,” Thompson said. “I believe in the pieces we have. It’s just a matter of accepting that process of getting better and working hard, and we’re going to have to overcome adversity. That’s what happens every season, and how we handle those things is going to be important.”
As seniors like Boschee, Huseby and Austin Riewer grew up playing together, they have been described as very close and hardworking. And most importantly, badass.
“Just a scrappy group that gets a lot of steals, gets in transition and gets a lot of open layups,” Riewer said.
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They complement each other well. Riewer, a Bemidji State commit, is known as one of the team’s best all-around players, using his 6-foot-6 frame to defend while also being a good shooter.
“He’s a brave, hard-working guy,” Boschee said. “He does all the little things you ask him to do. He’s skilled, he can shoot, he can score, he defends. He has a great motor, so having him on the court has a lot of benefits and not a lot of negatives.”
While Boschee is known for his shooting skills, he is also a good leader off the court. Riewer praised him for his camaraderie with all members of the team.
“He’s a guy you can get close to, a great scorer, but also a great person off the court,” Riewer said. “You can go up to him and talk to him if you’re frustrated… He’s very easygoing. He wants the team to do the best they can, whatever it takes.”
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Huseby, meanwhile, blends the offense by doing the dirty work of getting rebounds and playing tight defense.
“Jeron is one of those guys that brings everyone on your team together,” Thompson added.
Bemidji has a very experienced team. In fact, junior Wyatt Tverstol is the only non-senior on the Lumberjacks’ roster.
As those seniors play their senior year, winning a section title and going to the state tournament is one of their main goals for this season.
But as big as those goals always are, Thompson likes to focus on the small things. That includes improving something on his game every day in practice.
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“You can’t get lost in the outside goals and expectations and all that stuff,” Thompson said. “You have to stay focused on what’s going on here every day. That’s our process, and we just have to stay true to that throughout the course of the season.”
Still, players like Riewer believe this year’s team can really go far. All they need is to stay as a united unit and play good basketball, no matter who their section opponents are.
“I think on paper we have everything we need,” Riewer said. “We have the weapons we need, we have the athleticism we need, the skill we need.
“It’s just going to be about things on the court, getting along, putting the team first. It’s just going to depend on whether we take the team first and keep it as a slogan or put it into action.”