First official for Tatum
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The floor at St. Louis (Mo.) Chaminade has seen it's fair share of NBA talent over the last 15 years. First there was David Lee and then there was Brad Beal. Five-star junior small forward Jayson Tatum is hoping that he's the school's next NBA player, but he's not looking to skip any steps and is focused on high school and college first.
The No. 4 ranked player in the class of 2016, the 6-foot-8 wing has looked to take his game to a new level this year. He has always been skilled off the dribble and a capable playmaker for others, but he's found other ways to make an impact as he's added strength and grown into his wide shoulders.
"Really I've been emphasizing my rebounding this year," Tatum said. "I've been averaging almost 13 rebounds a game and when I get it, I like to look up and get the long easy assist to the guys up top. That gets them going in the open floor and helps me.
"Help-side defense and on-the-ball defensively, I'm trying to be better too. My strength is helping me out and I've grown taller and gotten better with my shot."
In the fall, Tatum cut his list of schools down to a group of 10 that includes Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, St. Louis and Wake Forest. In a week and a half, Tatum will take his first official visit when he heads to Durham to check out Duke.
"I'm going to be looking at everything," said Tatum of the upcoming visit. "I really don't know what to expect because I've never been there, so I'm trying to see what the atmosphere is like. Their fans, what it's like in the locker room, how the game goes and how they interact with their coach."
Earlier this season, Tatum made his way to Kansas for their season-opening Late Night festivities.
"It was a great experience," said Tatum. "I had been to Kansas many times, but it was my first Late Night and the fans are unbelievable and it was a great atmosphere."
Locally, there has been a feeling that SLU has a chance to keep him home and Tatum is starting to feel some subtle pressure around his hometown.
"I get it all the time," said Tatum. "Walking around in the mall or out and about people are always like go SLU or go Billikens. I definitely keep it in the back of my mind and know what it would mean in the city of St. Louis if I was to stay home."
At this point, Tatum has heard it all when it comes to his future and his potential. Friends, family, coaches and scouts have all told him how good he could be and he has an ultimate goal of playing in the NBA. First, though, he wants to lead his team to a state championship and then after the season, he'll look to cut his school list down a bit so he can get closer to making his college decision.
"Definitely after the season, maybe around the first EYBL session," said Tatum of when he'll next cut his school list. "Hopefully I can cut it down to five or maybe six.
"Ten was serious, but cutting it down to five is really serious. That's really laying it down and really thinking about each school and how you fit and how you could get better at each program."
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