Former Local Basketball Star Jayson Tatum Looks to Start his Collegiate Career Strong at Duke

Jayson Tatum dominated during his time at Chaminade High School. Now he’ll get a chance to shine under the bright lights at Duke University.

Jayson Tatum has been under the public eye for much of the past three or four years, and he has brought a great deal of excitement towards basketball in the city of St. Louis, which lacks a professional franchise.

While at Chaminade College Prep, Tatum destroyed the competition. As a junior in 2013-2014, he averaged 26.5 points per game along with 11.7 rebounds per game, providing his team with a very well-rounded set of skills. He was named National Junior Basketball Player of the Year.

Enhancing his game even further, Tatum upped his numbers during his senior campaign, scoring 29.5 points per game and 9.1 rebounds. His play not only helped his team win a state championship, but it earned him the honors of the 2016 Gatorade Male Athlete of the Year. The award holds high prowess, as athletes such as LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Andrew Wiggins, and many other players who are now professional basketball stars have taken home the award.

Tatum not only shined here in St. Louis, but throughout the world, as he has been a member of USA Basketball since 2013. During those years, the team earned gold medal honors in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 in the FIBA World Basketball tournaments. That’s a lot of gold.

Tatum had the option to play for any school in the country, but ultimately made the decision to play for one of the nation’s most prestigious programs, Duke University.

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Not a bad decision if you ask me. Who wouldn’t want to go play for Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K ), one of the best college basketball coaches of all time, and–oh, by the way–a winner of five national championships?

Not only will Tatum get plenty of exposure in front of NBA scouts, he’ll be in a great position to win.

With a lot of talent returning from that team, adding Tatum and other top prospects like Harry Giles and Frank Jackson to the mix will make Duke one of the most talented teams we have seen in the last few years.

"“I think from all of the kids I’ve seen in high school, he was the best scorer, because he can score in a variety of ways.” – Coach K on Jayson Tatum."

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With his Duke Blue Devil debut approaching in the next couple weeks, Jayson Tatum is in a great position to succeed. After watching what he has done over the past few years, there is no reason to believe that he won’t. With St. Louis athletes like Ryan Howard, Bradley Beal, and most recently Ezekiel Elliot making it to the professional ranks in their respective sports, it gives St. Louis natives a lot to cheer for.