AMES — The 6-foot-2, 185-pound frame may not scream power five guard, but the work that Jackson Paveletzke has put in from his childhood to his collegiate career, all while being overlooked, has built a chip on his shoulder the whole world can see.

Coming out of Kimberly High School, Paveletzke had an impressive resume like other sought-after recruits. However, he was not given nearly as much attention as others due to his size.

Paveletzke trusted all the hard work he had put in growing up and, with his hall-of-fame head coach, took a chance on himself at a mid-major school. The chip on his shoulder motivated him, as he wasn’t done chasing his dreams.

The sophomore guard instantly showed why he went from a zero-star prospect out of high school to a four-star transfer prospect when he touched the floor at Hilton. The fight and energy from his prep career prepared him for the adversity he would face at the next level, and he would continue to dismantle the mold others set for him.

Paveletzke hails from the basketball pipeline of Wisconsin, a state constantly producing talented players at the collegiate and professional levels. Growing up, all he knew was basketball.

His dad, John, who played collegiate basketball at a Division III school in Wisconsin, coached Paveletzke when he was young and instilled the mindset of wanting his son to be better than he ever was.

“He’s had a really big impact on my life, keeping me level-headed and giving me tips,” Paveletzke said. “Always encouraging me when I need it and he gets on me when I need that too.”

Outside of his father, Paveletzke was blessed to be coached by Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association hall of famer Lucky Wurtz from the time he was in kindergarten to his junior year of high school.

Wurtz saw at a young age the work ethic and talent that Paveletzke had, based on his ability to outwork and out-compete any other kid. No matter the size of the camp, Paveletzke was determined to set himself apart from the other kids.

During summer camps, which often were 90-minute workouts four times a week for five weeks, Paveletzke never missed a practice. The coaching staff gave out Gatorade to the kids who won one-on-ones and other drills; this is when it became clear to Wurtz that this kid was a winner.

“He would come out of there with eight to 10 Gatorades,” Wurtz said. “He’d be carrying them, and he would be giving a couple to kids that were hanging out. But he couldn’t even carry them out. He competed and won everything.”

While Paveletzke grew up dominating camps and developing through the Elite Youth Basketball League and AAU circuit, high school ball changed everything.

“At the beginning, I was going up and getting pinned,” Paveletzke said.

Even in high school, Paveletzke was undersized, and despite all the work he had put in growing up, it looked like it was all for nothing. He didn’t make the varsity team for Kimberly his freshman year, which put a chip on his shoulder.

Wurtz’s plan wasn’t to upset Paveletzke by assigning him to JV, as he generally didn’t let freshmen play varsity. He emphasized helping develop his game and teaching him that his skills on the court would overshadow his small frame.

“I told him skills will trump,” Wurtz said. “I told him to develop what he can develop, and that’s what he did.”

Paveletzke worked on becoming an efficient scorer from every level, using his skill to work his way around defenders and protect the ball. Wurtz described him as intentional, and whether on the court, in the weight room or with the trainers, Paveletzke was always focused.

The combination of Paveletzke’s work ethic and the chip he had on his shoulder earned him a spot on the varsity squad his sophomore season. From there, he would go on to be one of the best players in program history at Kimberly.

Despite finally reaching the varsity level, Paveletzke never stopped working on his game. He would often grab his teammates after practice and games for extra shots with that chip on his shoulder and killer mentality constantly growing.

“I can rightfully say he was the best kid I ever had,” Wurtz said.

During his junior year, he led Kimberly to the WIAA Division 1 State Championship where they fell to Wauwatosa East. This was the last game Wurtz coached for Kimberly, as he retired after 35 years of coaching.

Retiring before Paveletzke’s senior season is something Wurtz’s daughter constantly reminds him of and is a decision he will regret given how talented the Papermakers were when he left.

“He was sensational,” Wurtz said. “He was big time, and that is why [Wurtz’s daughter] thought it was dumb. I mean how can you coach that long and give up before his senior year?”

Paveletzke was left in good hands with Jon Murphy, another WBCA Hall of Famer with over 30 years of coaching under his belt.

Statistically, Paveletzke had his best season under Murphy, averaging 30 points per game. He set both the all-time scoring record (1,674) and the single-game scoring record (50) in his final season with the Papermakers, leading them to another state tournament appearance.

Despite the multiple records and trips to the state tournament, Paveletzke’s prep career was not enough to outweigh the size concerns he had coming out of Kimberly.

According to 247 Sports, Paveletzke was a zero-star recruit following his senior season and only had a few options to survey for the next level.

“I felt a little disrespected,” Paveletzke said. “I worked really hard and I see that I’m an undersized guard, but that made me go even harder and want it even more.”

It was between two options for Paveletzke: Wofford or Saint Thomas. After learning how Wofford had developed other Wisconsin guards and made five NCAA tournament appearances in the last 12 years, he saw that it was the best fit for him.

Although it wasn’t at a high-major school, Paveletzke’s skills were at the forefront during his freshman season. He started to feel things coming together in a matchup with Texas A&M where he scored 22 points and displayed his ability to run the court at a high level.

“I really always thought I could do this, but that’s when I put everybody on notice,” Paveletzke said. “It was really just me being me.”

He finished the season starting all 33 games for the Terriers, averaging 15.1 points per game on 49.3% shooting from the field. He led all freshmen in the Southern Conference in scoring while also finishing with the third most assists in the conference.

These numbers made Paveletzke a shoo-in for Southern Conference freshman of the year and also earned him a spot on the All-Southern Conference third team. He felt all the hard work pay off when his assistant coach pulled him aside in practice to tell him about earning freshman of the year, as that was a goal he had set for himself before the season.

Even with one of the most talented players in the conference, Wofford failed to stand out as a team. Head coach Jay McAuley stepped down in December 2022 following a 5-4 start to the season.

Although Paveletzke envisioned spending his career at a school that believed in him when others ignored him, he felt it was best for him to search for other options.