Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Top-40 sophomore Jahnathan Lamothe says five schools working the hardest
By JACOB POLACHECK
With 12 scholarship offers, Class of 2023 guard Jahnathan Lamothe is one of the most highly recruited sophomores in the nation.
The 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard from St. Frances (MD) Academy, says five schools have been in contact the most throughout his recruitment.
“I feel like Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, VCU, Pittsburgh and Rutgers have been recruiting me a lot because they’ve seen the progress I’ve made this summer,” Lamothe said by phone Sunday. “I feel welcomed by every school that’s recruiting me thus far.”
He broke down each school:
Virginia Tech: “First, I like their guard play. I like the way they play. Their assistant coach Chester Frazier was at a lot of my games last year, recruiting people like Ace Baldwin and Julian Reese. I’m getting a lot of feedback from him.”
Seton Hall: “I like Myles Powell’s game and I like how they basically ran the offense through him. They needed a hot hand and it was him. I like how they really got it to him and let him basically do what he does.”
VCU: “Their coach was at our school a lot for Ace Baldwin. They also stay in touch and recruit people from our team. I like their school.”
Pittsburgh: “Their coach [Jeff Capel] seems very cool. He’s obviously from Duke so that’s already a step in the right direction. Coming from Duke, you know what winning is and what it takes to win. That’s big for me. I want to have a good career in college basketball.”
Rutgers: “On the Zoom call, I felt a lot of love from their coaches and I like their facilities, how it’s 24 hours. I feel like I could develop my game a lot. Playing in the Big 10, which is a lot of great competition and have a great career.”
Lamothe met with Rutgers staff by Zoom last Monday (Sept. 28).
“At first, they showed me around their facility,” he said. “I liked how they facility was and how the outside was. It just felt like a cool vibe, looking at it, knowing it’s 24 hours. The coaches were impressed with me last summer.”
In addition to the five schools mentioned above, Lamothe also holds offers from Mississippi State, Georgetown, DePaul, Bryant, Coastal Carolina, Delaware State and Austin Peay.
Ranked by 247Sports.com as the No. 6 combo guard and No. 36 overall prospect in the Class of 2023, Lamothe says he hopes to be ranked in the Top-20 nationally by the end of his sophomore year.
“I feel like I’ve definitely improved and I feel like I’m definitely in that position to be top-20 in the country,” he said. “Also, I just want to lead my team to a BCL NIAA Championship. That’s my goal this season, to contribute in any way I can.”
On the court, Lamothe describes himself as a “big guard”.
“I can score from all three levels,” he said. “I can pass well and assist my teammates, getting everyone involved and winning games.”
Over the summer, Lamothe played with Team Durant, improving his stock and adding some weight.
“I’ve been working out three times a day, just making sure I stay in shape,” he said. “I’ve added some weight, getting stronger in every aspect of my game.”
“I played with [Team Durant] and got some great exposure,” he said. “I just showed what I’ve been working on in quarantine, just getting faster, stronger and developing my on and off ball skills.”
All things considered, Lamothe says he’s continuing to stay positive throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
“That’s a big thing for me,” he said. “I want fun people and positive people around me. I’m going to give you good energy and make you want to be friends. I’m always someone that you can go to be happy.”
Photo: Phenom Hoops
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