He was the 1983–84 NCAA Division I men's basketball season assists leader and earned The Summit League Men's Basketball Player of the Year back when The Summit League was known as the Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU), which later became known as the Mid-Continent Conference.
His Summit League records are also abbreviated by the fact that his freshman season predated the conference.
In 1980, Lathen was a member of the East Aurora Tomcats team that set the Illinois High School record for most 100-point performances.
[2] The team finished with a 25–3 record after losing to West Aurora High School in the Class AA Sectional Championships in overtime.
[10] He dropped out of UIC in the fall of 1984 and entered Triton Community College in order to make up some academic work.
[11] After leading the nation in assists as a junior, Lathen was not academically eligible to start his senior season.
[10] Note that Lathen's freshman season predates this conference and is not included in the record books or career totals.
In addition, in 1983–84 he was an All-Tournament Team selection despite the fact that UIC was eliminated in the semifinals of the AMCU Tournament.
[18] A 2009 publication by ESPN ranked him among the five greatest players in the history of the UIC basketball program.