There are only a couple of weeks left for the college kids to impress the scouts before the NBA Draft takes place on June 20th. We will spend that time talking to the stars of tomorrow as they prepare for the next phases of their careers. Some guys enter college as blue-chip prospects while others enter with a chip on their shoulders. James Batemon was the latter but his resume grew greatly last season: 1st-team all-WCC, led the league in STL, and almost led his Loyola Marymount team to a CBI title. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with James about being a great PG and what it would mean to get drafted.
You grew up in Wisconsin and began your college career at North Dakota State College of Science where you were a 2-time All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It meant a lot to me and my family. I had a chip on my shoulder after being lightly-recruited so it was helpful to get that junior college background before getting to where I wanted to be.
How did you end up at Loyola Marymount? I fell in love with the coach during my visit. They reached out to me after my junior college season was over and LA was a hot spot with great weather and a great opportunity for me.
You played for Coach Mike Dunlap: what makes him such a good coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He teaches the game a lot and is great at Xs and Os. He taught me so many small things like certain angles on the floor and different kinds of schemes, all of which were very helpful.
You started 30 games in your 1st year in Los Angeles and led the team in scoring: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I wanted to prove everyone wrong who had overlooked me. We had a bunch of new guys and I knew that someone needed to be a scorer/facilitator. I led the team in scoring as a PG after playing SG during my 1st year in North Dakota. When you are playing with good teammates you can feel confident distributing the ball more often.
In 2018 you were the only player in the top-5 of the WCC in PTS/AST: how do you balance your scoring with your passing? Your teammates have a lot to do with it. If I was too conservative my teammates/coaches would tell me to be more aggressive. I am just a ballplayer but if I take too many shots then I will start trying to get my guys involved more.
Last year you led the conference with 54 STL: what is the key to being a great defender? Reaction time, covering ground, and just being in the right position. I also took more than 10 charges last season!
You were named 1st-team all-WCC: how does the WCC compare to some of the best conferences in the country? I think we compare pretty well to the Power-5 conferences. Gonzaga was clearly 1st and Portland was clearly last but everyone else in the league was competing hard against each other.
In the 2019 CBI semifinals you scored 9 PTS in a 9-PT loss at eventual champion South Florida: how close did you come to winning a title? We came very close and were right there. They took off on us in the final minutes and had a crazy scoring run. It seemed like it was called differently than on the West Coast but you cannot blame the officials.
How has the pre-draft process gone so far while you rehab from tendinitis, and how is your health doing at the moment? It has been great. I played the whole season with severe tendinitis in my knee. I did not know that at the time but I did not want to miss the whole season so I just sucked it up and played. My rehab is going great and I am close to being 100%, then I will be back on the court going full-speed in no time. I noticed a drop speed-wise last year but I want to be 100% for the scouts.
What would it mean to you to get drafted? It would mean a lot! Even if I do not get drafted I just want the opportunity to work out for a team and show them what I have. To go from junior college to D-1 was the 1st step, and it would be a dream come true to play in the NBA: I cannot wait to see what is next!