Tatum ready to be household name

Cameron Tatum isn’t a household name just yet in the Atlanta area but the 6-foot-5, 190-pound wing from Tucker (Ga.) High School will probably be one of more talked about players from the South once the high exposure tournaments come around in the spring. He’s quickly making believers this season with his high school team.

Early in the season, Tatum is averaging 22 points, 7.5 rebounds, three assists and two steals a game.

Tatum didn’t have his best game of the year on Friday night when Rivals.com went out to see him play. But the test of a good player is finding positives, and a number of them, in defeat.

Tatum is a long guard that uses his explosive first step to get down the baseline to the bucket in a blink of an eye. He can play above the rim and uses his long frame to rebound with the bigs under the basket. Tatum can shoot the three and, at times, relies on his perimeter game a bit too much when exploding to the hole will work much easier. Always conscious of what he is doing, he knows what he needs to do to improve, too.

“Number one, I have to get better on defense. I have to improve there if I want to be one of the best players in the country,” Tatum said. “I went to a trainer in the off season and that has really helped me this year. My footwork is better and my quickness and hops are much better this year.”

Tatum said coaches from Georgia and UNC Charlotte came out to see him play earlier in the year. The Bulldogs have put on the heat of late, the junior said. One Big 12 school is also stepping up it’s efforts.

“Nebraska is really on it. They send me like five letters a day,” Tatum said. “I get a lot of mail from (UGA and Charlotte) and I’ve got stuff Florida State, Stanford, Miami, Georgetown, Kentucky and Michigan.”

More will likely come, too. And they can come from all over, Tatum says. Location isn’t a major priority. In fact, he’d really like to go to the Northeast.

“It doesn’t really matter to me. I really want to go to Syracuse and that isn’t really in my backyard,” Tatum said. “I don’t mind being far away from home.”

The No. 113 ranked player in the class of 2006 said he’s already looking at the pros and cons of the schools recruiting him.

“I do pay a lot of attention to the recruiting process,” Tatum admitted. “If a college sends me a letter or a package, I check out the school on their website. I’m looking at their roster. I’m looking at who’s leaving and who is coming in. I’m looking at their stats, especially their guards and I’m looking at how I can fit into the team’s offense.”

Don’t be surprised to see more schools trying to find a way to get Tatum into their offenses in a couple of years.