NRHEG’s Lee reaches 1,000 points
NRHEG’s Daxter Lee, in white, drives past Medford’s Connor Jones on his way to the basket. Lee finished with 20 points against Medford before dropping 32 against WEM two days later to surpass the 1,000-point milestone for his career as a Panther. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
NRHEG’s Daxter Lee is no stranger to scoring points as the junior guard has led his team in scoring multiple times since his freshman season, but earlier this month, he reached a new career milestone: 1,000 varsity points.
Lee was able to surpass the mark in NRHEG’s road game against the WEM Buccaneers where he needed just 30 points but finished with a total of 32.
“To be honest, I was kind of speechless. I never really trained or worked with that number in my mind. It kind of just happened. I was locked in the whole game, but afterward, I sat down, and it really hit me like, ‘man, this is crazy,’” said Lee.
While Lee’s scoring talents have been on full display over the course of his career, the junior said he doesn’t believe his game should just be defined by his abilities as a shooter.
“My freshman year I think you could have labeled me as a shooter. But now I’ve just been focused on making myself a better all-around player. I hope that I’ll be remembered as the guy who was able to find an open teammate just as much as the guy who could shoot the ball.”
While Lee’s accomplishment was celebrated by friends, family, and teammates alike, the Panthers’ guard noted that there are more important things to be concerned with as the season continues.
After finishing last season 15-11 overall, this year’s NRHEG boys basketball squad currently sits at 1-14.
“We’re not playing NRHEG basketball right now. We actually sat down after our last practice and watched the 2017 NRHEG team play Jordan to go to state. Our team is hungry for wins and even though we don’t have a ton of varsity experience as a whole, we’re ready to turn the corner and start bringing home some wins.”
As the team approaches the home stretch of the 2022-23 season, the Panthers will have a strong chance to right the course when looking at their upcoming schedule.
With nine of the team’s last 11 games coming at home, the Panthers will look to gain momentum as the playoffs approach.
However, according to Lee, the team is going to have to dig deep in order to do so.
“Everyone has things that they can work on. We’re all trying to focus on getting better every day, and as the games go by, we’re only going to learn more and more about who we are as a team.”