Paxson attended Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio, following in the footsteps of his elder brother, Jim, who would go on to a star career at the University of Dayton, and, later, in the NBA, as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. By his senior year, John was considered one of the top guards in the country and was named to the 1979 McDonald\'s All-American Team, joining such future college and NBA standouts as Isiah Thomas, James Worthy and Byron Scott in the game.\n', '

Paxson played collegiate basketball at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. In 1980-81, his sophomore year, Paxson led the Fighting Irish in assists with a career-high 138 that season. He earned his first All-America recognition as a junior in 1981-82, averaging 16.4 points and dishing out 4.7 assists. The following year, Paxson led Notre Dame to a 19-10 record, averaging a career-high 17.7 points per game and tallying 112 assists en route to claiming his second All-America selection. He also helped guide the team to NCAA appearances in 1980 and 1981. For his career, he was a .526 shooter from the field, presaging his sharpshooting prowess in the pros. He finished his four-year stint at Notre Dame with 1,366 points (19th in Notre Dame history), 411 assists (seventh), 133 steals (eighth), 86 games started (13th), and field goal percentage (20th). His four-year average was 12.2 points per game.\n', '

Paxson graduated from Notre Dame in 1983 with a degree in Business Administration and a 3.17 GPA and was a two-time Academic All-American. Bob Arnzen, Pat Garrity, Tim Abromaitis and Paxson are the only four basketball players in Notre Dame\'s history to earn Academic All-America accolades more than once.\n', '

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