For Coach Chris Maxon, basketball is more than just a game. It is more than simply putting on a uniform and running the court.  For Maxon, basketball is a passion.  But the game’s true value goes further than that.  Basketball for Coach Maxon, at its most important level, is a teaching tool.  Beyond the zone presses and pick-and-rolls, he believes there are lessons to be derived that impact a person’s life long after they have taken their last 3-pointer or grabbed their last rebound.  It was precisely that teaching quality about basketball that initially inspired the coach to pursue classroom teaching and basketball coaching as a profession. "I learned so much from athletics", explained Maxon. I tell my players that every class they take is extremely important and they should treat it as such."  But they probably won’t take any one class that will mean more to them than their athletic experience because it teaches all the things, you’re going to need in order to be successful in life.”  Basketball teaches self-discipline, hard work, teamwork, sacrifice, and perseverance." It teaches you how to deal with success, how to deal with adversity, and how to win and lose with dignity.  All of those things you are going to have to deal with for the rest of your life as you go on and pursue your family and career goals.” Athletics had such a huge impact on who I was and what I did that teaching and coaching seemed to be a way to go back and help other people have that same positive experience that I had from competing.” 
 
Coach Maxon currently is in his twelfth year as a U.S. American Government / Economics Teacher at Fort Pierce Central.  A 25-year Social Studies teacher and basketball coach, Maxon has amassed over 250 wins as a Head Coach and over 125 wins as an assistant. Coach Maxon most recently was an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Palm Beach Atlantic University after spending five seasons as the top assistant at Indian River State College.  Under legendary coach Mike Leatherwood, Maxon helped guide the “River” to five consecutive 20- win seasons, a first for Leatherwood, while winning three Southern Conference Championships.  
 
Coach Maxon was the Head Basketball Coach at Pahokee High School from 1999-2004 where he compiled an impressive record of 114 wins and 45 losses. Maxon's teams won 3 District titles and 3 Conference titles as well as 3 State Regional Semi-Final finishes during his 5- year tenure.  He placed many of his student-athletes in colleges throughout the country, sending five players to Division I Universities, including professional basketball player Zabian Dowdell, a 2007 1st Team All A.C.C. selection at Virginia Tech and NBA player for the Phoenix Suns.  For the past 15 summers, he has taught at basketball camps at major universities all over the country including Duke University, The University of Kentucky, Syracuse University, The University of Pittsburgh, The U.S. Naval Academy, The University of Florida, and the prestigious Five-Star Basketball Camp.  Coach Maxon has been awarded numerous awards in teaching and coaching, including the Sallie Mae First Year Teacher of the Year Award, Southern Oaks 2006 Teacher of the Year, ESPN.com Coach of the Month, Disney Creativity in Teaching Award and Palm Beach County Conference Coach of the Year on 2 occasions.  Maxon resides in Port St. Lucie with my wife Cheri and their 3 children: Camryn, age 20, and twin boys Christian and Christopher, 16 years old. 
   

Through it all, the underlying philosophy as a teacher and a coach has always been the same for Maxon. "The critical thing for me to understand is that my role is not simply a teacher or basketball coach, Maxon exclaimed, but a developer of values, habits, and characteristics that will help my student-athletes to be successful in their overall lives.”