Jayson win battle of the Tatum household
St. Louis, MO- They say your parents are your first friends. They teach you the basics of life. How to walk, how to ride a bike, and if you're lucky: how to shoot a basketball. You spend your days after school in the driveway practicing your shot and always imagine that you'll see them in the stands cheering you on someday. One scenario you never dream about is watching your parent on the opposite bench, coaching against the team you're playing on. That's what Jayson Tatum, a senior at Chaminade College Preparatory, sees every time he laces up his Nikes against his school's biggest rival. Jayson has to watch his father, Christian Brothers College High School alum and head coach Justin Tatum, try and keep him and his fellow Red Devils from winning.
These two teams are full of stars who know each other well. Both rosters include a handful of players who make up the core of the St. Louis Eagles, a team that plays in Nike's EYBL circuit. The Eagles had a successful run last year, mostly in part to the stellar play from Chaminade's Jayson Tatum and CBCs Jordan Barnes. While they spend the summer traveling the country as teammates, they return to rivals at the first ring of the school bell.
In Saturday's matchup between the two local powerhouses, CBC came out of the locker room playing the type of game they wanted. The Cadets' strong defense kept Chaminade's top players out of the paint and forced them to shoot from outside the arc to no avail. The Cadets ended the first quarter with what seemed like a comfortable 16-9 lead over the Red Devils. Justin Tatum seemed to have found a way to do what no other area coach has done this year, slow down his son.
The Cadets did their best to prevent a comeback from the Red Devils in the second quarter. Chaminade's Lewis found a loose ball and had a potential dunk spoiled by a huge block from CBC's Jordan Barnes which sent Lewis to the free-throw line. Those freebies would give Chaminade their first lead of the game. CBC would regain the lead with two free throws of their own from Barnes but Jayson Tatum seemed determined to enter the locker room with a lead. A fast layup by Tatum drew a foul to help Chaminade finish the first half with a hard-fought 30-28 lead over their rivals.
Chaminade head coach Frank Bennett must have known exactly what to say to his team during halftime as the Red Devils came out swinging with 9 unanswered points to start the second half. The Cadets never regained the lead.
CBC's Jordan Barnes didn't let the scoreboard dictate his play and began to do what he does best: knock down threes in the clutch. Barnes finished with 23 points but his premier play wasn't enough to close the gap entirely as the game ended in a 79-57 victory for Chaminade.
Jayson Tatum and company had an answer for anything the Cadets threw their way in the second half. Tatum contributed 38 points and earned bragging rights at the dinner table for at least a few weeks. After a parent was escorted from the gym for shining a light from their cell phone in an attempt to distract a player during free throws it became clear the players and coaches weren't the only ones emotionally involved. With incidents like this, it's clear this game for the ages is no ordinary rivalry.
As the regular season wraps up for both teams, there is potential for the two to meet again in the playoffs. A Tatum vs. Tatum matchup in the postseason would be the first time the duo has met outside of the regular season schedule. It seems safe to say that Justin Tatum would like one more shot at the Red Devils this year.
