PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Jalen Lampman is one of millions of high school students nationwide who saw an abrupt end to the 2019-20 school year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Like tens of thousands of scholar athletes across the country, the Lakeview High School senior’s high school athletics career was also cut short.
Lampman finished his senior basketball season before the coronavirus pandemic led to events being canceled but lost his entire senior baseball season.
Lampman senior basketball season was enough to earn the southern Oregon native an opportunity to play at the next level.
“I’m just blessed to be in this position,” Lampman said. “I know that even though I wasn’t able to play baseball this year, I am thankful that I was still able to play basketball.”
Lampman will attend the Oregon Institute of Technology to continue pursuing the sport he loves.
“I’m so excited, I loved the coaches, I loved the players and I just saw myself being a part of what they do,” he said of the OIT program.
A four-time all-league first team player and three time all-state honoree, Lampman was the star player for his Lakeview basketball team throughout his career. This season, he earned conference Player-of-the-Year honors, after averaging more than 20 points a game.
Although the coronavirus outbreak has cut his final year short, he said he can look back and enjoy the time he had.
“I loved every second of this,” he said. “I know I will miss it, but I can’t wait to see what OIT has in store for me.”