St. Louis freshman one to keep an eye on
Chaminade College Prep in St. Louis knows a thing or two about big-time players.
The 2001 class produced NBA All-Star David Lee and the 2011 class produced NBA shooting guard Bradley Beal, who is off to a great start.
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Might Chaminade's class of 2016 produce the next great player?
Well, it is too early to speculate about 6-foot-6 freshman point guard Jayson Tatum's pro prospects, but it isn't too early to say that Tatum could be the program's next five-star prospect.
Over the weekend, Rivals.com was on hand to watch Tatum square off against his father Justin Tatum's -- who won an AAU National championship alongside Larry Hughes with the Saint Louis Eagles in the 90s -- alma mater, Christian Brothers College.
Tatum starred on the evening, scoring 25 points and displaying a high level of skill.
"I felt a little bit of pressure because my last name is Tatum and because of what he did at CBC and then he played well at SLU," Tatum told Rivals.com. "I felt a little pressure to represent the name on my back."
In leading Chaminade to a win, Tatum earned family bragging rights for now and offered a glimpse into what he could be down the road.
Tall, ball-handling point guards who can shoot with range and make big plays during crunch time don't come around all that often, and Tatum has heard some early comparisons.
"[db]Kyle Anderson[/db] from [tmUCLA[/tm], I watch him a lot," said Tatum when asked to compare his game. "I also have heard quite a few Shaun Livingston comparisons."
Because he's only a freshman, there is still lots of time for things to change. However, Tatum is off to a great start and schools such as Illinois, Kansas, Florida, Missouri, Michigan State, Saint Louis and many others are aware of him.
For now, though, Tatum is just worried about finishing his freshman year, getting better and having some fun. After all, he's still just a freshman.
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"I am just enjoying everything right now," said Tatum. "College is pretty far away."