A basketball career milestone

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST AND PETER JEANS DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e look on Jameson Mott’s face said it all — shocked when she learned she had reached a major high school basketball milestone: 1,000 points. e 5’11” forward, a senior who has played on the Evergreen High School varsity squad all four years, said she was surprised not only at reaching the milestone on Jan. 5 but at the celebration during the game.

Mott’s 1,000th point came like so many others: After receiving a pass from senior point guard Bella Reece, she hoisted a perfectly arched shot. Nothing but net … and cue the celebration. Evergreen called timeout, the stands erupted, and the announcer let the crowd know of the accomplishment.

Mott, 17, hardly knew what to do, but her teammates did. ey swarmed her as the student section unfurled a banner that read “1,000 points.” ity, a natural talent (as a basketball player),” Evergree head coach Maddy Hornecker said. “ at’s the surface level of it, but I don’t think people know the work that has gone into that. She is probably in the gym six days a week. She usually doesn’t body co-president, involved in clubs, is taking two advanced placement classes a semester and works parttime at Mountain Daisy. In her free time, she likes to hike and bake with her older sister, Lily. eir specialty,

Evergreen’s 42-27 loss to Standley Lake that night was a little less painful thanks to Mott’s achievement.

“Jameson is talented, but she also has been willing to grind and work hard in sports and in school,” dad Chad Mott said. “She has taken on those challenges through hard work. is hasn’t come easy, and she has earned every bit of it. It’s all been through the love of the game.”

4 years as a standout

Jameson’s rare milestone was reached on the back of four stellar seasons that began as a freshman shooting guard in 2019-20 with 284 points. She followed that up with a sophomore campaign in which she tallied 209 points and was honored as First Team All-Conference.

Last year she racked up another 334 points and was selected as the 4A Je co Girls Basketball Player of the Year. is year she has more than 177 points despite being one of the most closely guarded players in the state, the focus of every opponent’s attention.

“ e downside is that when you are the main scorer, (opponents) will often double team you,” Chad said. “She has been seeing that for the last four years, so the points she scores are well earned.”

A love of basketball

Jameson said she loves basketball because she loves team sports.

“Basketball is more of a connection,” she said. “With the right team, you can accomplish so much.” ough, she added, “I do like to shoot.

“My teammates inspire me,” she continued. “If I don’t keep up with my role, I let them down. You have to pull your weight.”

She loves her team, calling her teammates “super sweet.”

Starting at a young age

Jameson fell in love with basketball in elementary school when she tried her hand at the sport through an Evergreen Park & Recreation District program.

“My brother played,” she said, which meant she needed to try the sport for herself.

Jameson and brother Jackson Mott practiced in the Bergen Valley gymnasium where their mom, Kim

Mott, is a teacher, or the Evergreen High School gym, where Chad is a teacher, plus in the Wulf Rec Center gym.

She calls the Evergreen High School gym her home away from home. e siblings practiced nearly every day for about 90 minutes or until another sport needed the gym for practice until Jackson graduated.

Chad remembers Jameson scored 28 points as a freshman in her rst Evergreen game against Battle Mountain.

Jameson said starting in the rst game her freshman season was pretty shocking, too, since there were eight seniors on the squad.

Similar mindset to Dillon e last Evergreen player to reach 1,000 points was Claudia Dillon in 2019, and Hornecker said she wished Dillon and Jameson had the chance to play together for Evergreen.

“ ey have a lot of similarities,” Hornecker said. “ ey are both incredibly smart academically, and they are both family oriented. ey both have strong work ethics and determination. ey both know their goals for their lives and what they want to do.”

More basketball in her future

Jameson has committed to playing basketball at Gettysburg College, a liberal arts school with a solid basketball team in Pennsylvania.

“We looked at a lot of schools,” Chad said. “When we made the list of pros and cons, Gettysburg checked all the boxes.”

Ironically, Jameson’s parents grew up in Gettysburg, and Chad’s dad was a professor at Gettysburg College for 55 years. Her parents still have cousins in the area, and Jameson will have the opportunity to connect with them during her time in college.

Jameson plans to major in marketing, hoping to have a career in women’s athletic fashion.

Compassionate, caring Kim said the family jokes that Jameson is the kindest member of the family.

“She always has a smile, always is willing to help and very caring to everyone,” Kim said. “I think those are the best qualities.”

Longtime teammate Reece said Jameson is the “consummate teammate, always looking in on her fellow players and about their mental health and their academics. She is especially good about encouraging our underclassmen teammates.”

Hornecker said Jameson has been a big help with the younger players.

“Jameson always has been somebody who takes care of the younger kids,” Hornecker said. “She has been teaching them … and has stepped up and grown into an onthe-court kind of coach.”

Chad has enjoyed watching Jameson’s basketball career and her 1,000-point achievement.

“It’s been a lot of fun for her,” Chad said of the milestone. “She’s the kind who doesn’t really come easily to the spotlight, but it’s certainly been well deserved. It’s been four years of hard work.”