Per Duke Sports Information:
July 11, 2016
DURHAM, N.C. – Duke freshman and 2016 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Jayson Tatum will be in Hollywood, Calif., this week to attend both the 14th annual Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year ceremony and the 2016 ESPY Awards.
As National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, Tatum is in the running for the 2016 Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award. The winner will be named at a ceremony in Hollywood on Tuesday, July 12. ESPN NBA personality Sage Steele will host the event, and awards will be presented by the Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton and 2015 Women’s World Cup Champion Abby Wambach, among others.
Tatum is vying to become the second Duke men’s basketball player to earn the Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year award, as Greg Paulus was the award’s recipient in 2005. Tatum is already the second member of the Duke men’s basketball program to be named Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year, alongside Jabari Parker (2012).
A three-time Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year honoree, Tatum averaged 29.5 points and 9.1 rebounds as a senior at Chaminade College Prep. He led the school to the 2016 Class 5 state championship, pouring in 40 points in the title game against Kickapoo High School. He topped the 40-point mark in six games as a senior.
Tatum was a 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic selection. He was named a first-team Naismith Trophy All-American and one of five finalists for the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year award, as well as a first-team All-USA honoree by USA Today.
The St. Louis native has extensive experience in the USA Basketball program, having earned three gold medals and averaged 11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds in 19 games for his country.
Tatum helped lead the U.S. to gold at the 2015 FIBA U19 World Championship in Heraklion, Greece, with averages of 13.9 points and 4.6 rebounds. He captured his first international gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and followed it up the next summer with another gold at the 2014 FIBA U17 World Championship.
A student ambassador at Chaminade College Prep, Tatum has volunteered locally by helping to provide meals for the underprivileged. He has also volunteered as a speaker with at-risk youth and as an instructor at youth basketball clinics.
As part of his nomination for Gatorade Male High School Athlete of the Year, Tatum and his fellow nominees will walk the red carpet at the 2016 ESPY Awards on Wednesday, July 13.
