Maryland signee Jahnathan Lamothe ended his senior season on a high note after being named first team all-conference, a mere weeks after exploding for 57 points highlighted by 16 threes. But with his senior season now over, the 6-foot-4 combo guard now gets a chance to reflect on his high school career.
“We won a championship, feels pretty good to end it on that,” Lamothe told IBG. “I’ll play in the Capital Classic but other than that, it’s just workouts and things like that now. I don’t have AAU anymore so it’s all pretty much on my own.” Stepping into a veteran role was item number one on Lamothe’s to-do list this season as he and Pitt signee Carlton Carrington led the way for the Baltimore powerhouse.
“I definitely think my leadership over the years has gotten way better. If you look at our roster we didn’t have much but me just stepping up, we were able to get to the championship and doing whatever it took to win.”
Maryland signee and SFA guard Jahnathan Lamothe (@JahnathanLamot1) finished with a school record 57 points, including 16 threes), in a 120-77 win vs. John Carroll (MD).
Lamothe was in attendance for Maryland’s upset vs. Purdue on Thursday night pic.twitter.com/IrBUQAsCPc
— Inside the Black & Gold (@Insideblackgold) February 18, 2023
Now, he’ll prepare for the next phase of his career when he enrolls at Maryland in June. “Just get my body right. We played in a lot of games this season so getting stronger, getting 100% healthy. Work on my ballhandling and shooting, just getting more consistent there. [Tony Skinn] told me after the season just to rest, take some time off.”
Lamothe made himself a frequent visitor in College Park this season, bringing either family or teammates each time. Whether it was the season-opening win or the upset over Purdue, Lamothe saw a difference in Maryland basketball’s style but one that aligned with preseason expectations that head coach Kevin Willard set.
“I definitely expected that because of the way coach [Kevin] Willard told me how he wants to play—fast-paced—so I definitely expected them to succeed. Just keeping the fast-paced tempo. Before in the summer he said he was going to speed people up, play fullcourt defense so to be able to see that every game was like he was about what he was saying, everything was true,” Lamothe added. “They did exceed expectations in terms of the wins, though, getting to the tournament, beating WVU. That was a pretty good feeling.”
Lamothe also got a chance to take in Maryland’s wins with signee Deshawn Harris-Smith and was on the floor with Jamie Kaiser following the Purdue game, but he’s also gotten a chance to get to know Maryland’s lone unsigned commitment–Braden Pierce. “Yeah we’ve been talking and then we were at the game together, the Nebraska game, so we got to talk and get to know each other.”
With his eyes set on his college career, Lamothe looks ahead to how he can make an impact on the 2023-24 roster.
“I definitely want to bring better playmaking, and ballhandling. I want to enjoy the championships, the March madness, so just keep expectations high and keep chipping.”
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