Unless Jayson Tatum pulls a DeAndre Jordan and catches a severe case of cold feet, the five-star high school standout will not be staying home to showcase his skills on the next level. Following his senior season, Tatum will take his talents to Durham, NC to play ball for Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils. Though the defending NCAA National Champion has been long-considered the front-runner for the silky smooth wing player, it’s hard not to imagine what could have been if Tatum stayed home and suited up for the Saint Louis University Billikens.
I can see it now. There are seven seconds remaining on the clock in the Chaifetz Center with the Atlantic 10 Championship on the line. The Billikens are down by two points with no timeouts remaining. All eyes are on the freshman phenom. Tatum comes off a screen to catch the inbound on the right elbow. He sweeps to the right and puts the ball on the floor. A double team is coming, but Tatum sees it and splits the defenders with a crossover. Five seconds to go with the ball in his hands, free-throw line extended. Tatum gives a hesitation dribble and a head fake. His defenders bite and launch themselves into the air. Tatum isn’t thinking about a tie, he wants the win. He pulls a step-back to create space as his defenders flail in the air. Two seconds on the clock. Tatum lets a three pointer fly from the top of the key. The buzzer sounds as the ball drops though the hoop. Game over.
The SLUnatics rush the court. Tatum is hoisted up high by the masses. Saint Louis University wins the conference championship and punches its ticket to the 2017 NCAA tournament as a #4 seed, where they will advance to the Elite Eight. Tatum is a hero. He’s the LeBron James of the Lou. He’s lauded as the greatest talent in SLU history, even though it served as a pit stop to a successful NBA career. He opens the floodgates of other St. Louis prep standouts to stay home and build SLU into a perennial powerhouse.
Sounds Rudy-ish right? OK, maybe I got just a little caught up in the moment. But for Saint Louis University, Tatum would’ve constituted a Hollywood ending. SLU was clearly a severe underdog in the process considering that Duke and Kentucky are perennial national championship contenders and regularly produce lottery-bound freshmen. SLU’s biggest chances relied more on the heart than the head. Both of Tatum’s parents attended Saint Louis University. His father, Justin Tatum, starred on the basketball team and his mother, Brandy Cole, attended SLU’s law school. His godfather, Larry Hughes,alsostarred for SLU andset a single-season record for most points scored in a Billiken uniform. In his only collegiate season, Hughes averaged 20.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.16 steals and helped the Billikens reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Hughes then departed SLU as a “one and done” for the greener pastures of the NBA as the #8 pick in the NBA Draft.
By all accounts, Tatum is expected to have a similar trajectory as his legendary godfather. He has dazzled his entire career at Chaminade, on the AAU circuit and on the international scene as a part of USA Basketball. Tatum is a pro player. Whether he suits up a Duke, Kentucky, SLU or Vatterott, the youngster will be getting buckets at a NBA arena near you in 2017. At SLU, he would’ve had a team built around his talents. He would’ve been the man, unequivocally.
However, this is certainly no criticism of Tatum for his choice of schools. Full disclosure, I’m a huge Duke fan. Mizzou, SLU and Duke are my holy trinity of college basketball and only one of those programs is a legitimate national championship contender. There’s no way to criticize a kid for choosing to play for the best coach, face the best competition and have a national television audience every single time he steps on the court. No, he might not average as many points or be the singular focus in the Cameron Indoor Stadium as he would have been in the Chaifetz Arena, but I have a feeling he’ll be just fine. For my own selfish reasons, I wanted to see the kid play just a hop, skip and a jump away from the St. Louis American headquarters. Throughout the process though, his father and godfather, who have been through the tedious recruiting process, told Tatum to take his time and make the decision that was right for him. Coach K and the Duke Blue Devils are getting one hell of a player. I can’t wait to see him shine on the big stage.
