Jahn Lamothe putting together a strong spring
AAU is in full swing and we’ve seen a number of local prospects who have taken advantage of the stage. 2023 St. Frances/ Team Durant guard Jahnathan Lamothe Jahnathan Lamothe 6'3" | CG St. Frances | 2023 State #204 Nation MD has been one of those prospects.
“My spring has been going pretty good, we’re 11-1 so far after we took a tough loss to Mokan Elite, but other than that it’s been a good process,” Lamothe told Prep Hoops. “We like playing with each other as a group and we genuinely like each other, so it’s been going pretty good.”
Lamothe’s 16U Team Durant squad is considered as a top team in their age group nationally. The roster has no shortage of future high major prospects and Lamothe has engrained himself as a key component to their winning formula.
“I’ve been playing a little more off the ball a little bit more since last year,” Lamothe said. “My coach wants me to be a threat out on the wing, but we’ve been playing a five-out type of set, so it’s easier for me to get in the lane or playing in screen-and-roll to get my teammates involved. I’m just trying to be more of a facilitator and leader off the ball.”
If you’ve caught Lamothe in action over the last calendar year, you know his ability on the offensive end as a shooter with range and playmaker off the bounce, but it’s the other side of the court where he has made the biggest strides. He credits his high school environment for the improvements he’s made defensively and carried it over into this spring session with Team Durant .
“Practicing against Byron Ireland (Maine), Khyrie Staten Khyrie Staten 6'2" | CG St. Frances | 2021 State MD (Delaware State), Elijah Davis Elijah Davis 6'0" | PG St. Frances | 2022 MD (Mississippi Valley State), Tevin Curtis Tevin Curtis 5'9" | PG St. Frances | 2021 State MD or even bigs like Juju Reese (Maryland) and Derik Queen Derik Queen 6'9" | PF Montverde Academy | 2024 State #18 Nation FL (2024), I just feel like no one in the country had to go up against guys like that every single day. It made it easy for me. Even having to guard Ace Baldwin (VCU) sometimes, it just made it easy for me. I knew in order to get on the floor I had to play defense. Now AAU is so much easier to stay in front of guys and it’s helped my anticipation. Also my flexibility. I’ve been working out more and last summer I worked on my mobility a lot. I was a lot stiffer, so I focused on my hips and that helped,” Lamothe claimed.
Lamothe made serious improvements to his body over the past calendar year and is shaping out to be a combo guard with a good blend of size and strength. His goals for this spring have shifted now that his frame is coming together.
“I want to be one of these guys who averages a double-double or even a triple-double. I can contribute in all three categories (points, assists, rebounds). I’ve been more like a guy who averages 14 points, seven assists and five rebounds, so I want to get more active on the boards and dish out a few more assists with less turnovers. I also don’t want to lose anymore games this summer. I had an off game against Mokan Elite and that’s not going to happen again for my team.”
Lamothe is coming off a solid sophomore campaign where St. Frances went 15-0 before being upset in the BCL Championship game. It’s a moment that the 6-foot-4 guard still thinks about and won’t go away any time soon.
“It’s fuel for me. I still think about it daily. I just can’t believe we lost that game, but for me, it’s to come back even stronger next year. We’ve been in the gym working and we still talk every day. We’re getting ready. We know that John Carroll is going to fall off from this year, so next year we’re coming in with a mindset of taking everything,” Lamothe said.
Following his performance at Hoop Group Pit Jam Fest, Lamothe added two offers to his list from Creighton and TCU. Already holding offers from the likes of VCU, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Georgetown and Virginia Tech to name a few, it’s safe to say he’ll have a long list to cut down comprised of power five conferences when it’s all said and done. Maryland and Xavier are also beginning to get into the mix with Lamothe, but have yet to extend offers.
Lamothe currently ranks No. 5 overall in our 2023 Player Rankings and checks in as the No. 1 combo guard. If he improves his production going forward, it’s only right to consider him for a slight nudge into the top 3-4.