Despite being just 14 years old, St. Louis (Mo.) Chaminade point guard Jayson Tatum has already received several scholarship offers from programs like Kansas, Missouri and Memphis.
Earlier this week, Florida head coach Billy Donovan added the Gators to that list when he offered the 6-foot-6, 175-pound freshman guard a scholarship. Tatum said these offers serve as a reminder to stay humble.
“It was very exciting and made me realize I’m truly blessed and how thankful, especially since I am only 14 years old,” Tatum said.
Tatum found out about the offer through his father, who is a high school basketball coach, after Donovan spoke with his dad. He knew the Gators had interest prior to the offer after Donovan had attended one of his practices.
For Tatum, he likes to take advantage in the transition game and prefers the run-and-gun playing style. He believes Florida plays a similar way, which makes the Gators an attractive option.
“They get up and down and play hard on defense with a lot of transition baskets,” Tatum said.
Since Tatum is a 2016 recruit, he doesn’t have any favorites at this time and said he likes all of the schools interested in him the same.
However, the St. Louis native already has an additional connection to Florida. Former Gators David Lee and Bradley Beal both attended Chaminade High School where Tatum currently plays basketball.
“It’s certainly something I think about, because from Florida they both went to the NBA,” Tatum said. “So it sounds like a great place to go.”