Dajon is the name given to Dajon Lott Jr. at birth. But very soon after, an uncle adorned Dajon with a nickname. 'Money' it was and 'Money' he became. It has remained ever since. There is no more Dajon "unless I am in trouble or I can't hear someone."
Maybe his uncle was prescient because Money is averaging a double-double for Sacramento City College this season consisting of 18.0 points per game and 10.0 rebounds alongside 52 blocked shots as a 6-foot-8, 230 sophomore. He is shooting 60% from the floor.
Why the choice of Sac City and Coach Andrew Jones after graduating from Elk Grove High? "It was the best choice for me to go and blossom. I play inside/out, more freely." According to Money "I played a lot of travel ball" and was coached by his father and also by Scott Hess, the father of an Elk Grove High teammate, Jordan Hess. He saw Sac City as similar in allowing freedom on the court for him.
His listing of his top skills started with "shotblocking", then "I kind of score pretty well, I'm pretty good at rebounding."
Money had a lot to say about leadership. "I am a leader, especially in game situations by example and verbally. I also really try to not to get in the way of our point guard. But when I talk, I've told my teammates 'don't ever take me yelling harshly because I'm not trying to be mean.' It's all to get the W at the end of the day."
Regarding his best basketball moments, he named a pair of recent wins. Versus host Santa Rosa Junior College, Money nailed a game-tying layup at the end of regulation to tie the score and send it into overtime and followed that with a late game shotblock that propelled Sac City to an 85-82 win. He finished with 15 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in 29 minutes. "I was playing disciplined." Then with an intriguing output in a 99-95 victory over visiting American River College, "I got into foul trouble (four fouls)" yet he still finished with nine points and eight boards plus three blocked shots in just 18 minutes of action.
The Lott family is one full of athletes. "My father played football at Gavilan, my Mom played softball and my great uncle ran D1 track." And yes, Ronnie Lott, the 49er and pro football Hall of Famer, is a distant cousin who Money has never met.
As for influences in his basketball trek, Money kept it close to home. "My Dad and my family members who encourage me to keep pushing. I feel like I have something to prove and I want to make them proud of me."
With recruiting, it's also home sweet home. "I've talked with my Dad, my grandma and my coach and I'm a West Coast kid." He has no interest in enduring snowstorms and having to purchase a new wardrobe in order to just survive. But if a big-time program in the East made an enticing offer...
Money is looking at his position at the next level as being a combination of a 4 and a wing. Dustin Monday, then and still the Elk Grove High varsity boys basketball coach said back in a 2021 article: "Money’s not like your traditional big," Monday said. "He’ll play wing, where he’s a really good perimeter shooter, and he’ll play in the post, where we have a lot of action to utilize his skills. He’s also a great passer, particularly out of the post. We try to find ways to get him the ball and allow him to be a playmaker."
Aaron Haynes, Sac City's all-time leading scorer, is a friend and also stands 6-foot-8. At Boise State, Haynes averaged 14.7 points on 47.4% shooting in two seasons before playing overseas. Money would like to emulate his buddy's four-year collegiate success.
Money is deciding between sports medicine and sports management as a major.
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