Baden Jaxen (born Dexter Terrez Strickland; October 1, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for

BC Odesa BC Odesa () is a Ukrainian professional basketball club based in Odesa. The club competed in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague (UBSL). Established in 1992, Odesa played in the SuperLeague for most of its existence until it disappeared in 201 ...

of the

Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague The Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague (USL) () is the first-tier level of professional basketball league in Ukraine. Established in 1992, the league is currently contested by 10 clubs. It is a tier above the Ukrainian Higher League and allows for o ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

Early life

Strickland was born on October 1, 1990, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, to parents Dexter L. and Sheronne Strickland.Dexter Strickland Biography
/ref> He attended the St. Patrick schooling system, all the way through his senior year of high school. Strickland was a standout guard in high school as he led them to three consecutive state tournament championships. He scored a career high of 20 points in one of the championship games. As a junior, he competed in the 2008 Elite 24 All-Star Game. In November 2008, he signed a

National Letter of Intent The National Letter of Intent (NLI) is a document used to indicate a student athlete's commitment to participating in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) colleges and universities in the United States. The NCAA Eligibility Center manag ...

to play

for the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

. Following his senior year, Strickland was named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

. He finished as the #4 Prep Player in the US via

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

's National Rankings. He also earned first-team ''Parade'' All-American honors.

College career

Freshman year

Strickland adapted to the college game very quickly. He averaged 17.4 minutes per game playing alternately as a point guard and shooting guard. He also started four games. Strickland scored in double figures five times, tallying 12 points vs. Texas, 18 vs. Rutgers (a season high), 17 at Clemson, 14 at NC State, and 11 against NC State at home. He also played well during the NIT Tournament, beginning with 7 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists against the College of William and Mary. He followed that up with 8 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists (with no turnovers) against Mississippi State, then 8 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists against UAB. The next game, he scored 6 points, collected 2 rebounds, had three assists (with no turnovers) and stole the ball twice in UNC's 1-point win over Rhode Island. On the season Strickland finished third on the Tar Heels with thirty-three steals.

Sophomore year

Strickland was a starting guard during the 2010–11 season, starting 36 games and also acquiring a new number – #1 instead of #5 from his freshman year. He averaged 7.5 points in 27.0 minutes per game, shooting 25% from three-point range and 45.6% from the field. He averaged 3.1 rebounds per game and led the Tar Heels with 46 steals, including 4 against Marquette in the Sweet 16. He also set a new career high with 19 points in a game against William and Mary, surpassing his previous career high of 18 points. Strickland made 8-of-12 field goals in that game, including hitting both shots he took from three-point range and making his only free throw. His contributions helped

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

advance to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament.

Junior year

Strickland once again started at shooting guard during his junior season in which the Tar Heels began ranked #1 in the country. He averaged 7.5 points per game on 57% shooting (highest on the team), only attempting and missing one three-pointer. He also recorded 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Both season highs came against Mississippi Valley State when he had 6 rebounds and 6 assists to go with 13 points. During an ACC road game at Virginia Tech on January 19, Strickland tore his ACL and was ruled out for rest of the season. The team ended up losing in the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament to Kansas.

Senior year

Strickland started all 36 games for the Heels in his senior season. He led the nation in assist-turnover ratio (3.19) and was fifth in the ACC in assists (143 total, 4.2 per game). He averaged 7.8 points per game and 27.9 minutes per game (both career highs), and posted his first career double double against ECU with 12 points and 10 assists (a career high).

College statistics

, - , align="left" , 2009–10 , align="left" ,

, 36 , , 4 , , 17.3 , , .432 , , .235 , , .692 , , 1.5 , , 2.0 , , .9 , , .1 , , 5.4 , - , align="left" ,

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, align="left" ,

, 37 , , 36 , , 27.0 , , .456 , , .250 , , .686 , , 3.1 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .0 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" , 2011–12 , align="left" ,

, 19 , , 19 , , 24.3 , , .570 , , .000 , , .667 , , 2.1 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 7.5 , - , align="left" ,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, align="left" ,

, 36 , , 36 , , 27.7 , , .436 , , .174 , , .694 , , 2.4 , , 4.2 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 7.8

Professional career

After going undrafted in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

, Strickland joined the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

for the 2013 NBA Summer League. In September 2013, he signed with SO Maritime Boulogne of France for the 2013–14 season. On November 29, 2013, he was released by Boulogne after 13 games. On January 18, 2014, he was acquired by the

Idaho Stampede Idaho ( ) is a landlocked state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west; the state s ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

. On November 3, 2014, Strickland was reacquired by the Idaho Stampede. However, he was later waived by the Stampede on November 13, 2014. On March 11, 2015, he was acquired by the

Los Angeles D-Fenders The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, that competes in the NBA G League. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first ...

. On November 25, 2015, Strickland signed with the

Moncton Miracles The Moncton Miracles were a Canadian professional basketball team in Moncton, New Brunswick. Established in 2011, they were a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). The Miracles played their home games at the Moncton C ...

of the

NBL Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; ) was a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketball League teams joined with four new franch ...

. In 42 games, he went on to average 16 points, 4.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game, being the second best scorer of the team. On November 28, 2016, Strickland joined ETHA Engomis of the

Cypriot League The Cypriot First Division (), also known as the Cyprus League by Stoiximan for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Cyprus and the highest level of the Cypriot football league system. Operated by the Cyprus Fo ...

. At the end of the full season, Strickland went on to average 21.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in 15 games for ETHA. He was the top scorer of the Cypriot League's regular season phase. During the season, he scored in double figures 13 times, including a 36-point game against

Apollon Limassol Apollon Limassol FC (, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Division and has won the championship tit ...

, adding also 9 rebounds and 9 assists in that game. On March 22, 2017, he signed with Promitheas Patras of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

until the end of the season. On August 3, 2020, he has signed with

of the

. After suffering a broken jaw during a brawl at a friendly game against BC Ternopil on September 29, Jaxen was ruled out a month.

References

External links

LNB Pro B profileNorth Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaxen, Baden 1990 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Canada American expatriate basketball people in France American men's basketball players Idaho Stampede players Los Angeles D-Fenders players McDonald's High School All-Americans North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Shooting guards Basketball players from Union County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Rahway, New Jersey The Patrick School alumni 21st-century American sportsmen Qatar SC basketball players ETHA Engomis players