It’s not often that an eighth-grader makes the varsity basketball team roster. It’s even rarer for one to earn a starting position on the team. Locust Valley High School point guard Jahmir Primer is quickly making a name for himself.
Primer, 14, earned the starting point guard’s spot when head coach Tim Lomot took note of his maturity and high basketball I.Q. before the start of this season.
“The first thing I saw out of him was how he acted,” Lomot said. “That was beyond his basketball skills. It’s the way he looks people in the eye when they talk to him, his respectful nature and his quiet confidence. These are the same attributes that he has on the court.”
The 6-foot-tall phenom grew up in Hempstead, and has played basketball for only four years. Toughness was one of the first attributes he developed when he competed with his friends in pickup games in local gyms. As this toughness grew, so did his dedication to the game of basketball.
“Growing up where I’m from, there’s a lot of talent,” he said. “You have to be tough. It got to a point where you either go out and practice or no, you won’t achieve success.”
Primer’s Amateur Athletic Union basketball coach, Nick Tsikitas, introduced him last year to the Locust Valley Central School District and the opportunity to play with high schoolers. He enrolled in Locust Valley Middle School last fall, and his mother agreed that he could live with Tsikitas as his guardian in Locust Valley.
It took Primer a little time to organize a daily schedule and learn how to balance his academics and athletics in his new district, but now he’s comfortable with his routine. He said that Locust Valley is much quieter than Hempstead, which has helped him focus on being a student-athlete. But Primer hasn’t forgotten his friends and family back home.
“Without those people, I probably wouldn’t even be here today,” he admitted. “They’ve helped me with basketball and my schoolwork, so I always keep in touch with them.”
Lomot said that although the eighth-grader is the youngest player on the team, his teammates treat him the same as everyone else.
“I don’t think he ever wants to be labeled as the eighth-grader or the guy that needs to be built around,” Lomot said. “He just wants to play basketball. I’ve thrown a lot on his plate early in his career, and he handles everything extremely well.”
Primer scored six points in his first varsity game, a narrow defeat to Glen Cove High School and a non-league game. Unfazed by the older players he competes against, he has helped Locust Valley win its first six conference games this season. And he said that his individual success comes second to helping his teammates succeed on the court.
“I want to keep getting better every day, but I want to help my team win the conference this year,” Primer said. “This is really for the seniors on this team. I just want to help them win something special.”
He realized that he had the capability to compete against varsity-level basketball players during seventh grade with his AAU basketball team. As a point guard, he relies on his decision-making and his ability to attack the basket to get open for easy shots. He is focused on improving the physical aspects of his game to handle opposing point guards.
“Playing at a high level, there’s always adjustments being made,” Primer said. “It’s important for me to match my opponent’s speed and quickness on offense and defense.”
With several years of high school basketball ahead of him, he said he is already setting some goals for his future.
“Even though I’m young right now and I still have to improve my game,” he said, “my goal is to become the best player I can be. Eventually, I hope to play college basketball and go to the pros. But it all starts now.”
