Photo by Larry Radloff, d3photography.com

Guard - Nate Axelrod
Ohio Wesleyan University
2014-2018

All-American selections: 2015 (Rookie of the Year), 2016 (2nd), 2017 (2nd), 2018 (Player of the Year)

All-Region selections: 2015 (3rd and Rookie of the Year), 2016 (Player of the Year), 2017 (1st), 2018 (Player of the Year)

Conference MVPs: 2016, 2017, 2018

NCAA Tournament appearances: 2015 (first round), 2016 (Sweet 16)

Other honors: 2018 Jostens Trophy winner

From the archives

• Axelrod's late FTs give Battling Bishops a share of NCAC title (Feb. 2017)
• Highlights from Axelrod's senior season (YouTube)
• Axelrod one of D3's elite PGs (Dec. 2016)
• Fab freshman scores season-high 32 as OWU takes title (Feb. 2015)

What others say: "To single out one specific area that made Nate a great player is impossible, because he excelled at every aspect of the game. He could score both on the perimeter and around the basket which, given his size, may have been his most unique ability. He was an able and willing passer always trying to make the correct decisions and put his teammates in a position to be successful. His work ethic and competitiveness was off the charts, always putting in extra time both in season and out of season to improve with the ultimate goal of helping his team win. And he combined all of this with an outstanding academic record, leadership in the community, and an uncommon humility. Truly an outstanding player and person.” -- Mike DeWitt, Ohio Wesleyan University men's basketball coach

In their own words: "It’s difficult to put into words what the OWU basketball program means to me. Looking back, winning NCAC championships, making NCAA Tournaments, and winning various individual awards were really exciting. However, none of that matters without the relationships I built at OWU and across the D3 basketball community. I’ll forever be grateful for the bond I have with my former teammates. The guys who pushed me every day at practice are the same ones who text me after every game I coach now. Likewise, Coach DeWitt put me in situations to succeed by giving me a lot of responsibility and guiding us to do things the right way on and off the court. He was hard on me, but I knew he wanted me to reach my full potential. That’s something I’ll always respect him for. But most importantly, my family is what kept me going. They set expectations really high for me year after year, and I just hope I was able to make them proud."

Where are they now: Assistant coach at Ohio Wesleyan

Career synopsis: Axelrod was like Allen Iverson on the floor and Dwyane Wade off it. A Jostens winner, he performed beyond expectations in the community and the classroom, with the understanding and demeanor of the coach he has become. With a ball in his hand, though, he played like Iverson with a controlled abandon that would be considered out-of-control for most players. There is a select group of players for whom it is obvious that the game just moves more slowly, that they have a greater command of what's happening that everyone else. Axelrod was the archetype for this at the NCAA Division III level.

Perhaps his greatest game came in Ohio Wesleyan's 2016 loss in the Sweet 16 to Benedictine, which was undefeated and finished as the national runner-up. As a sophomore, Axelrod played 39 minutes, scoring 29 points on the road (on 12-for-16 shooting) with nine assists and he outshined eventual D3hoops.com Player of the Year Luke Johnson. It was a glimpse of his ability and evidence of a performance that remained amazingly consistent over four seasons. You can point to individual skills that other point guards possessed more than Axelrod, but there's few, if any, you'd take over him if you were choosing up sides.