College Commitment – Jemai Lake (2026 Tualatin)

This fall has been a busy time for Jemai Lake Jemai Lake 6'2" | CG Tualatin | 2026 State OR . The dynamic 6-foot-2 point guard has been spending his weekends working on his recruitment, visiting college campuses in an effort to find the right place to begin his college career. The Tualatin senior was looking at doing this into the month of October but this past weekend he felt there was no need to take any more trips. Lake had found the right fit at Montana and decided to shut things down and make a commitment to the Grizzlies.

"Montana is the right place for me because the coaching staff set the tone for me since the start, which made me very interested," Lake said. "The fit and feel was the most important part for me throughout the recruiting process, which when I was on campus with the players and coaches it felt like family and it shows what they were all about. The college town culture was amazing, fans loved and cared about their school and athletes so much, it felt so right."

Lake made his official visit to Montana a couple of weekends ago and while he was on campus, he not only got a great feel for the scene in Missoula but also sat down with head coach Travis DeCuire and his coaching staff to discuss his potential future with the program.

"Most importantly the play style fit me so well, not just through what they said, but what they showed on film and the way they coach their guards," Lake said. "I like their commitment to put time into my development to grow as a student-athlete and person. The cohesiveness of the coaching staff proved to me on how they are a winning program. Also the coaches believing in me and giving me a chance to make an impact as a freshman."

After returning from his visit, Lake still had some other trips scheduled on he calendar. But as he looked back on things, he decided there was no reason to prolong the process. What led him to go ahead and make the call? "The overall college town environment," Lake said. "The coaching staff and players made it feel right. Their playing style matched my tempo. Those things that made me see a future at Montana. I would like to thank all the other schools that have recruited me and that I enjoyed building a relationship with their coaching staff, but Montana felt like the right fit."

With his commitment complete, Lake now turns his attention on his senior season. He's already experienced the highs of not only reaching the state tournament but being a part of a title team (his freshman year in 2023), and the expectations have not changed.

"I would say I except us to play hard every game and be one of the top teams in Oregon," Lake said. "We could be really good if we stay hungry and buy in the whole season. Our goals for this year is to win the TRL and then win a state championship. My goals are to become a better leader on court and make all the players around me better."

Lake is the first member of the Class of 2026 to make a college commitment this fall. Our congratulations go out to him and his family on his commitment.