Jahmyl Telfort: Competitor's Edge
Get to know the Butler star, Jahmyl Telfort, who joined Stephen for an interview!
Get to Know Jahmyl Telfort
Player interviews are some of my favorite things I get to do in the draft space. You can learn a lot from watching film—and even seeing players at games. Getting a chance to speak to a player gives you some insight and nuance as to the type of person they are. It helps when you are already a believer in their game as well.
That’s what led me to reach out for an interview with Butler star player Jahmyl Telfort. I’ve enjoyed Telfort’s game for some time now. What’s not to love? Listed at 6’7” and 225 pounds, he plays the game with a combination of power and skill that looks like it will translate to the next level. Not only is Jahmyl a prototypical, two-way wing that NBA teams covert, but he is incredibly productive. Averaging 16 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.4 APG, and 1 SPG, he impacts the game in a number of ways.
Some players come from big basketball families (he has eight siblings), while others have to forge their own way. In Jahmyl’s case, he just comes from a big family and is a first generation major athlete.
“It was definitely competitive. My parents didn’t get as much of a chance to watch us play, because of work—my mom was working 9 to 5 everyday. Then she would come home and take care of us—same with my dad. We all kind of played the same sports; nobody was really different because we all played basketball. We also played a little volleyball for most of us but, for the guys, once we hit high school, it was basketball for most of us.
I have an older brother that played JUCO [basketball]…but I would say I’m a first generation [athlete].”
From Montreal, Quebec, Jahmyl would play his high school ball in New England—finishing at New Hampton High School in New Hampshire. He ranked 10th in the state and 21st in the region. After finishing high school, prep, and AAU, Telfort would go through the recruitment process.
“It [the recruitment process] got a little bit tricky, because COVID happened. I wanted to wait until after my New Hampton season to make a decision so I could visit more schools. I was planning my visits and then COVID happened. I wasn’t able to visit the schools that I wanted. I knew Tyson Walker—because he had played at New Hampton the year before I got there. We knew a lot of the same people and knew of each other, so I ended up going to Northeastern.
And, obviously, Coach [Bill] Coen and how successful they've [Northeastern] been for like the past 20 years. Once I gave it some thought, I was like ‘Boston’s close to home and this is a program that really wants me and wants to flesh out my game while letting me be me’—it was an easy choice for me.
They also had Coach [Chris] Markwood, who was recruiting a lot of Canadians and is the Head Coach of Maine now, he was the main guy who recruited me. He recruited me, J’Vonne Hadley, Coleman Stucke, and Alexander Ngawha, so it [Northeastern] was more of a familiar setting, for sure.”
Many players take a while to be comfortable with taking a step up in competition, but that wasn’t the case for Jahmyl. He would end up being the Colonial Athletic Association’s (CAA) Sixth Man of the Year and was named to the conference’s All-Rookie team. CollegeInsider.com also named him a Freshman All-American, and he was a finalist for the Kyle Macy National Freshman of the Year Award.
This was because of his incredible productivity. As a freshman, Jahmyl averaged 11.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 1.4 APG—with shooting splits of 42/37/78. While this may have caught others by surprise, Jahmyl knew he was going to make an immediate impact.
“I felt it right away. I remember…we [the team] would run out to play…I kept telling Tyson ‘I’m going to have a really good season.’ When we got to practices, I felt like, physically, I was already ready for college—in terms of knowing how to play the game. I think a prep school like, playing at New Hampton against a bunch of talented players—I’m thinking like Kadary Richmond, Terrence Clark; there were a lot of teams in that league. Just playing against those guys, it really prepares you for college. A lot faster than if I was just in a regular high school.”
Jahmyl would play for Northeastern for two more seasons, where he would be named to CAA Third Team and an NABC All-District Second Team. While he didn’t have the same success shooting the ball he did in his freshman season, Jahmyl was still very productive. He would average 14.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 2.0 APG over those two years.
“Northeastern really allowed me to work on my game. As a freshman I had Tyson Walker on my team. You know, he’s a point guard, so he’s making my life easy making reads. I’m playing off of the catch—off of him, a lot. I had the ball in my hands a little bit, but it was mostly him. Then he went to Michigan State, so my coach was like ‘You’re going to have the ball in your hands a lot more.’
“I wasn’t really efficient in my sophomore year. I would say it wasn’t really a good year, for me—I felt like I could have done better. I felt like I had a good opportunity, though, to grow in that ‘playmaker’ role. The next year, I was a lot better. I worked on my post game a lot. I felt like I was a lot better, so I was able to play well in that conference.”
After his third year with the Huskies, Jahmyl would enter the transfer portal in March of 2023.
“People wanted to see if I could do it against ‘better’ players at a major level. That’s basically why I felt like it was my time to leave—to do that against the high major competition, for sure.
You know, Northeastern, I still love all those guys—the coaches, everyone. I love Butler but I also love Northeastern. I appreciate those guys for everything they’ve done for me. It was good communication for me leaving and me taking the next step. It was more like ‘You have to take that next step forward to progress your career.’
There were a lot of calls and texts. Which—I’m not a big phone guy, so I didn’t like it. So I wanted to take care of that quick, when I got in the portal.”
A quick he went. After about two weeks in the portal, Jahmyl would commit to play for Butler University.
“ I remember Coach [Thad] Matta was the same way. He was like ‘I’m going to be honest, I’m not a big phone guy.’ I was telling him the same thing. I was like ‘I’m trying to get this done quick. I’m not a high school recruit. I don’t want to visit all of these schools.’
I was really like ‘Which team is going to help my game the most and help me showcase my abilities the best? How am I going to have a great relationship with the coaching staff that is going to last a lifetime?’
I had other visits scheduled, but Butler was my first one and I just felt like home. I went right away with Butler.
Coach Matta was like ‘You’re the guy we need. We saw the leadership growth you had at Northeastern and you can do everything. We need you to do that at a higher level. You’re going to keep getting better; we want to help you do that.’
Then he gave me examples of players like D'Angelo Russell, Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Evan Turner—all of those players who have been with him. I was like ‘All of those players came back’, so you kind of feel like if those guys are coming back, it’s not because they don’t like their coach. It’s because there is a great relationship there, which is something that I value.
Speaking to my parents, too, they [Butler staff] came in and it wasn’t even about basketball. My dad and Coach Matta would talk about music most of the time. It’s good to have relationships with those kind of people. The basketball stuff is going to take care of itself.”
The basketball stuff did take care of itself. Jahmyl would go on to have a solid first year with the Butler Bulldogs, going 18-15 and making an appearance in the National Invitational Tournament. Again, Jahmyl had a chance to prove himself against higher levels of competition, and, again, he showed that he belonged.
“I’ve always been really competitive. Once I came to the Big East—everyone talks about how physical the Big East’s game it, and I’m one of—if not the most physical players on the court. I was like ‘if this is what the Big East is all about, then I am going to play well.
When I got there, we had a bunch of transfers all with something to prove. When you can put a chip on all of our shoulders and, as a team, we can all have that, it was a lot easier for me to just play my game, play super hard, and do everything I can to help my team win the game. That’s what it’s all about.
Jahmyl had a great final game of his first year with Butler, then would go on to test the NBA Draft waters while maintaining college eligibility.
“During the season, actually…I was able to go to Coach’s house, and speak with him about testing the waters and see—I kind of knew during the season that I was going to test the waters. I just didn’t know if I was going to stay or not. That was a known thing between us.
It was definitely new. I went into it [the draft process] like ‘Okay, what’s going on?’ It was a lot of work, to be honest. I was doing three-a-days in California, just working on my game—just getting ready for pre-draft workouts. It was by far the most intense month-and-a half to two months in my basketball career.
It really took me to another level in terms of how I felt about my game. I really got better from it. It’s an experience I would definitely recommend to anyone that would get a chance to do it.”
One thing that doesn’t always get put out to the public is the sort of feedback players who come back to school after testing the waters get from that process. For Jahmyl, NBA teams are obviously fans of his physicality, two-way contributions, and intangibles, but what sort of things did they say he needed to improve upon?
“They’ll [NBA personnel] let you know what you need to work on, and what they can do to help you and what you can get better at. If you go back, they’ll tell you what they want to see you do more of and what to improve on. They’ll be really transparent with you.
If you’re self-aware, too, you’ll know ‘this is the stuff I need to work on.’ Like, for me, I knew I needed to shoot it better, handle it better, finish better. Making reads off of the live dribble, like in the pick and roll. The number one priority to improve on was just me shooting the ball. It was my main focus of this past summer, in terms of just getting in those reps.
It was good for me to just know this is what I need to do to get better. This is a dope opportunity with what the league is doing.”
This year with Butler following testing the draft, Jahmyl is experiencing tremendous growth. We touch on the stat line and shooting splits, but he is shooting a career-best from the floor, is tied with his career-best in three-point efficiency, and is getting to the line more than he ever has—with a free throw rate of 48.0. He is posting an assist percentage of 20.9, while also taking care of the ball on a 24.4 usage percentage. He is up to a steals percentage of 1.8 and rebounds the ball well.
“I’ve grown a lot. I’m more comfortable now than I was last year. I’m really just about winning. My focus is just to win more games. I feel more confident, for sure, in terms of making decisions, to dribble, making shots. Just knowing I’m one of the leaders on the team, so I’m just more comfortable talking to and feeding my teammates while knowing that shooting the ball is something I’m comfortable with doing more.
I made sure that I was making 1,000 shots during the summer, every day. We had a challenge with our coaching staff who would take the most amount of shots in three weeks. It was almost like, a competition, that I really took to heart in terms of like ‘Okay, I really need to make 1,000 threes every day.’
Just knowing that, like—now a shooting slump is not something that’s going to phase me because I put in so much work over the summer and during the preseason that I feel like now—compared to last season and the years before—that there is a better level of comfort.”
Curtains
One of my favorite things to talk to Jahmyl about once “the interview was over’, was who he liked to watch play basketball—who he drew inspiration from. He and I were like two kids talking about our favorite toys.
“I definitely watch a lot of basketball. Me and my brother, Jacob, have been watching basketball—I remember guys from like the ‘05-’06 season. I remember the Cavs team that went to the NBA Finals with LeBron. I feel like I know a lot about NBA basketball just by watching. Many names people wouldn’t know, I know. I remember—I played against Devin Carter in the AAU circuit, and I remember his dad on the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat.
Just watching as much basketball as I do, you get favorite players. LeBron is my favorite play, but also Paul George and Kawhi [Leonard]. Paul Pierce, also one of my favorite players. Just a lot of players—Brandon Roy, Joe Johnson. I would say Stephen Jackson. I would watch Deron Williams just to try to do that crossover he had.
You get a little older, and you start to watch the guys now-a-days. I like to watch the Dillon Brooks’ of the world. Mikal Bridges. Deandre Hunter is also someone that I watch. Josh Hart—just in terms of his toughness and rebounding for someone who impacts the game as maybe an undersized forward.
I could tell you so many names. Jalen Williams on the Thunder. I watch a lot of Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]. Especially now, because I can be creative for my team and I like to be in the midrange. So, how does he take this bump to get separation and get his shot off? Kris Middleton is someone that I watch a lot.
I watch, like, every day. Just being a basketball junkie.
So, with the NBA being a goal, what does Jahmyl bring to the NBA? What would a team be getting when they look to invest in him?
“Competitive nature. Just being one of the best competitors on the court is something I really pride myself on. A lot of versatility, too. That’s what the NBA is built on; having a two-way guy that can do a lot of things.
Someone that is looking to get better every day, every year. I’ve gotten better every, single year that I’ve played. Someone that is competitive and loves to win—who is willing to win at all costs. Someone that is a great teammate. I get more happy when I see someone like Finley Bizjack, who was struggling at first but now he has been thriving and having fun—seeing that, as a teammate, has been by far has been my most favorite thing this season. Being a great teammate is one of those things I would bring.”
I would tend to agree. Watching the film, you can insinuate that Jahmyl would be a competitive guy. He’s massive—in terms of just muscle and strength—for his position, so you could imagine he works hard. He plays good defense, so you could guess that he is a competitive guy. It’s that competitive nature that he spoke on himself that gives him the edge over some other prospects that might not be in circulation among other draft outlets, that I believe will go a long way with him sticking. As I depart, I want to leave you all with a quote that I think perfectly encapsulates what I mean.
“This [defense] is going to be one of my calling cards once I get to the next level. It’s something that I just love to do. I hate when someone scores on me. I take it personal and just talking about it [getting scored on] just pisses me off. It’s something that, as I continue on my basketball career that I consider one of my huge strengths.”
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