Gainesville High grad Xavier Bledson builds on prolific basketball talent as his career blossoms at Division-I Indiana State

Bledson can remember it like it was yesterday.

He wasn’t even supposed to be in the Gainesville lineup against Apalachee, but was pulled in when one of his standouts was benched for the regional tournament.

Bledson, sensing it was his moment to shine, was not about to let such a big opportunity slip by.

“I would say that was his coming out party,” said Gainesville boys coach Chuck Graham, who was an assistant coach at the time.

With just a few seconds left and a point behind, Bledson didn’t flinch.

Bledson took the pass down the left wing, maneuvered the ball through traffic and put a shot from the backboard at the buzzer, which came in and sent the Red Elephants into the postseason.

“When it went in, everyone stormed the court,” Bledson said. “I definitely remember that game.”

Since then, Bledson has continued to train at the gym and is a student of the game, incorporating skills from some of the league’s best into his own repertoire.

Now standing at 6ft, 6in and a sculpted 215 pounds, Bledson is seeing his hard work continue to pay off.

Bledson is earning his living in his freshman season at Indiana State after spending the three years of his collegiate career at Division-II Lincoln Memorial University.

“I’m very proud of him for what he’s doing in basketball, but even prouder of the man he’s becoming,” Graham said.

No one is surprised that Bledson, who his friends call “Jabo”, has grown into his potential.

From a young age, Bledson was a natural with basketball in hand.

“He had a distinctive playing style, flair and feel for the game,” Graham said. “(Xavier) was almost a legend by the time he was 11.”

Though the talent was there from a young age, Bledson didn’t always look like a kid with a future in basketball.

However, his high school growth spurt was a blessing when he went 6-4 as a senior on the Red Elephants finalist team in 2018.

Bledson had to make a tough decision after the 2021 season ended for Lincoln Memorial, losing to West Texas A&M in the Division-II semifinals to a buzzer beater.

His Lincoln Memorial coach, Josh Schertz, would take over the job at Indiana State.

So Bledson went to his coach and asked if he could make the leap to Division I basketball.

They joked back and forth about the pros and cons of the move.

Bledson was torn, not wanting to leave his original program behind.

However, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

Besides, such a chance may never come again.

So, in the fall of 2021, Bledson enrolled at Indiana State and switched with his original college coach.

Bledson put his practice to work immediately, scoring 15 points against Green Bay on November 9.

On January 19, Jabo tied his season-high 21 points against Southern Illinois.

Still, success will not make Bledson complacent.

He spends every waking hour honing his skills.

“I take it, all the hard work that it takes,” Bledson said.

The post Gainesville High grad Xavier Bledson builds on prolific basketball talent as his career blossoms at Division-I Indiana State first appeared on Daily Florida Press.