By Troy Mauriello
In just a few months, Jordan Nixon will make arguably the biggest decision of her life.
The rising Mary Louis Academy senior is widely considered one of the best guards in the Class of 2018, and has received offers from some of the top women’s basketball programs in the nation, including Notre Dame, Virginia, Georgia and St. John’s.
But while the massive decision of where she will play the next four years of her career stills hangs in the balance, Nixon feels like she’s already made the best decision of her life.
Just over a year ago, Nixon opted to transfer from Horace Mann School in the Bronx to play at Mary Louis, a place she believes has changed her life for the better, both on and off the court.
“I can’t even put it into words because going to Mary Louis was probably one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she said. “Because I gained so much, and people who know me are just like you’re a completely different person; my friends, my mom, everyone. I’m more outgoing, I have more confidence on and off the court. Honestly I can’t even describe it to you.”
Nixon noted that making the switch to Mary Louis last year not only opened her up as a person, but elevated her game on the basketball court as well.
“I was playing in a conference and a division that wasn’t at my level, it wasn’t competitive in any way. So basically I’d just go out there and try to work on things,” she said. “[At] Mary Louis, playing in this league and having everything sort of change, we play in tournaments and we practice every day, intense practices. It just kind of opened up my world.”
Now, as Nixon plans on entering her second and final season at Mary Louis before heading toward what she hopes will be Division I stardom, she is doing everything she can to prepare herself on the court.
That preparation this summer has included a stint with the iEXCEL travel basketball program, where Nixon led her 17U team to numerous victories across the country.
Nixon and the iEXCEL girls competed against some of the top players in the United States and took home championships in their divisions of the Nike Tournament of Champions in Chicago, the Basketball on the Bayou Championship in New Orleans and the Nike Tournament of Champions in Atlanta. Each of these tournaments featured at least 300 participating teams, but Nixon stood out among the thousands of players in attendance, being named MVP of the Nike event in Atlanta. But instead of letting her performance on the summer circuit make or break her confidence heading into her senior year, Nixon used these tournaments for something else: preparation.
“I wouldn’t say it has a huge impact on how I’m feeling going into the season because this offseason … is all about preparation,” she said. “So that’s gonna dictate how I prepare for my senior season.”
As she gets ready for her senior season, Nixon will also have that big-time major decision weighing on her mind.
While she noted that she hopes to have her college decision made in the fall, well before basketball season starts, she did admit that she’ll be feeling some of the pressure that comes along with being one of the top high school recruits in the country.
“There’s definitely pressure because I’m trying to find a new home for the next four years and it’s a completely different ball game,” she said. “It’s a lot of pressure because a lot goes into it on the university’s part as well as your family and what you’re thinking.”
However, she expressed confidence in the people around her to help guide her to make the correct decision on where to play basketball – for a second time.
“I think because I have such a good support system they’ll guide me in the right direction and help me find the right place,” she said.
