Jayson Tatum made the first cut for the USA U19 roster on Monday and says he’s still considering all four schools on his college list.
A report out of St. Louis earlier this month suggested Tatum was down to two schools, suggesting it was Duke and Saint Louis.
“No, I’m still at four [schools],” the 6-foot-9 guard/forward from St. Louis (MO) Chaminade College Prep told SNY.tv by phone Monday night after the roster was cut to 16 players.
That quartet includes Saint Louis, Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina.
“It’s about the same, I hear from all schools,” Tatum said.
Asked how the rumor began that he was down to two, he said, “I don’t know.”
Asked to break down each school, Tatum offered this analysis:
St. Louis: “[The appeal is] how much it would mean for St. Louis University and the hometown and my family as well to come to all the home games.”
Kentucky: “It would be an honor. They produce a lot of great players in the NBA. They win ballgames and have a great coach [John Calipari] and they win national championships.”
Duke: “They do the same thing. They produce NBA players, great coach [Mike Krzyzewski], [he has] most wins in NCAA history, and they win national championships and that’s appealing for any team.”
North Carolina: “They’re not too much different from Duke or Kentucky. Great tradition, history of the program, coaching staff and a lot of great players have come through there.”
Tatum says he could pull the trigger sometime in July.
The U19s leave for Greece on June 21 and will play in the FIBA U19 World Championship in Crete Greece June 27-July 5.
“Hopefully in July, sometime in July,” he said of a decision date. “Yeah, probably sometime when I get back.”
Meantime, Tatum is playing on a loaded roster and hopes to contribute in a number of ways.
“It feels really good,” he said. “This is my third year so I’m just happy to be a part of the team for the finals.”
Tatum is one of five players who won gold together at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship, including Terrance Ferguson, Harry Giles, Josh Jackson and Caleb Swanigan. Tatum was also on the gold-medal winning 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.
“I play multiple positions,” Tatum said. “I play the 2, 3 and the 4. Sometimes I gotta be aggressive to score and sometimes I gotta crash off the glass and block shots and things like that.”
As for potentially winning a gold medal in Greece, Tatum loves the idea.
“It would mean a lot,” he said. “I’ve been here two years, there’s no greater feeling than being the last team standing [and] having that gold medal around your neck.”
Photo: USA Basketball
