Tatum Has Top Three
Jamaal Tatum, a rock solid 6-1, 155 pound point guard from Helias H.S. in Jefferson City, Mo., told Rivalshoops that three colleges are at the top of his list this summer.
Tatum said that he favors Nebraska, Southern Illinois and Utah are his top three, although only SIU has formally offered out of that trio. Tatum feels that Utah is close to offering.
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"Those three are in the lead right now, but not very far ahead of the others on my list," he said.
Others in the mix include SW Missouri State, Wichita State, SMU, South Alabama, Richmond, Missouri-Kansas City, Evansville and Wisconsin-Green Bay.
In addition to Southern Illinois, Tatum said he has been offered by SMS, Wichita State, UMKC, Evansville and UWGB.
Tatum is planning to officially visit Nebraska the weekend of Oct. 12-14, and will trip to SIU in either late August or early September. He is also thinking about taking trips to both Utah and Wichita State, but nothing formal has been set up with those schools to date.
Because his high school team attends camp at SMS, he has already had a chance to see the Springfield, Mo., based Missouri Valley Conference program. He didn't rule out taking another trip there in the coming weeks.
"I am trying to narrow my list down right now but it's pretty hard," Tatum said. "I plan on having five or six in-home visits next month."
Tatum added that he plans on making a fall decision, and is looking for a school where he'll have the chance to step in and contribute early on in his career. The school, the coach and style of play will all impact his decision.
Tatum enjoyed a very good summer quarterbacking Rich Gray's St. Louis Eagles program. He has good quickness and can also score when needed, but what he does best is penetrate and get his teammates involved.
A solid student in the classroom, Tatum said he carries a 3.1 GPA in the classroom and has an ACT score in the 19/20 range.