Jahnathan Lamothe has entered the transfer portal.
That's one that I just don't get from either side.
- Was chosen to play in the prestigious 50th Annual Hoop Culture Capital Classic in April 2023 where he was team captain of the Capital All-Stars
- Senior season in 2022-23 was highlighted by a St. Francis Academy record 57-point performance including 16 three-pointers, also a school record, against John Carroll
- Also had 30 points and seven rebounds in leading the Panthers to the MIAA AA Conference Championship.
- Named MIAA MVP and was chosen to the BCL First Team as a senior
- Finished his prep career with over 1,000 career points after averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals per game - became the first player in St. Frances history to average a triple double during the regular season
- Two-time all-conference first team selection
- Capital All-American as a senior in 2023
- Selected to the City Is Mine Basketball All-Star Game in 2023
- Four-star recruit who ranked as the No. 3 recruit overall in Maryland and was as high as No. 122 nationally
- The combo guard chose Maryland over Georgetown, UCF, and Penn State
- Played on Team Durant on the AAU circuit
- As a junior, led St. Frances to a 35-8 record and a No. 2 ranking in The Baltimore Sun high school poll
- National Honor Society inductee
So he's a kid with talent, but he's not the uber talent that demands a ton of immediate playing time.
Wasn't that made clear during the recruitment?
I'd think some version of this conversation happened prior to him committing:
MD: "We are going to bring you in... you'll be developed, and you'll have an opportunity for increased time based on what we see."
Lamothe: "That's great, I'm a local kid, I wanted to go to MD, I just want to come in, learn, and compete."
What changed during this year?
Did he not like being at MD?
Did he not like how he was being coached?
Did the staff not like how he practiced and carried himself, and nudged him out the door?
Did he think he deserved more immediate playing time?
There's probably some combination of all of that.
They (Willard, Lamothe, Lamothe's family) not able to effectively communicate to each other?
It's not like after a year where he played 16 games, and had 16 total FG attempts, some other school is offering him a lot of $.
Does he just want to go somewhere and play immediately, and put up a ton of shots? Well, that was available before he joined MD to begin with.
This year went sideways pretty quickly.
The shooting was abysmal all year.
Unless he was giving zero effort in practice, it does feel like there was an opportunity for Willard to give him some more regular time, and show Lamothe that he was going to be a piece going forward.
It's probably a move that doesn't end up hurting MD.
Some will just be happy that another scholarship is opened up.
But I don't like the process.