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Jayson Tatum, a junior at Chaminade College Prep in St. Louis, will be in action Monday against Virginia's Paul VI. (GREGORY PAYAN / ASSOCIATED PRESS)
There will be plenty of interest in the finale of the entire Hoophall Classic on Monday evening.
That's because Jayson Tatum, the top-ranked junior in ESPN's 60 and a variety of other publications, will take to the floor to close out what will be a busy and talented slate of action at Springfield College.
The 6-foot-8 small forward stars for Chaminade College Prep out of Saint Louis, and his grade of 97 puts him atop ESPN’s Class of 2016 list.
Former UMass and current Kentucky head coach John Calipari is amongst the many suitors for Tatum’s services, and the likelihood of several college coaches in attendance on Monday is high to say the least.
Calipari was on hand earlier this month when Tatum scored 39 points in a win over nationally-ranked Stevenson (Ill.) at the Cancer Research Classic in West Virginia. Here's Tatum on UK, speaking to the Lexington Herald-Leader.
Kentucky has been in on Tatum for some time, and the Wildcats are firmly on his top 10 list released back in the fall. Joining Kentucky is a powerhouse set of schools, including Duke, Arizona, Kansas and North Carolina.
Tatum and Chaminade (10-3) have played some wild games of late, beating Stevenson before losing to St. Rita of Chicago in the Highland Shootout, 77-75 in overtime. Tatum had 34 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, and his potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer in OT fell just short.
Chaminade will tangle with Virginia’s Paul VI High School, led by Syracuse-commit Franklin Howard. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Blake Arena.