Next big thing in Minnesota high school hoops: Totino-Grace guard Taison Chatman
Chatman, ranked 27th by
247Sports.com and
PrepHoops.com, has been a top priority for the Gophers since Ben Johnson and his staff took over last year.
National champion Kansas and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self showed up in the Twin Cities in April to offer Chatman — something not seen since the Jayhawks coveted Suggs a few years ago.
As much as Chatman welcomes offers from blue bloods, his main goal this AAU season is more team-oriented than personal. He could end up playing anywhere in college, including for his home state Big Ten program.
"I really like what he's doing with the program so far," Chatman said about Johnson and the Gophers.
Chatman's smooth shooting stroke and shifty handles seem so natural, along with his court vision. He picks his moments to blow by defenders and put them on highlights. He's a three-level scorer: threes, mid-range, slashing.
Less than a month after leading Totino-Grace to the Class 3A title at Williams Arena, Chatman made his mark with D1 Minnesota this spring and proved once again he belonged among the nation's elite playmakers. He averaged 19 points on 40% shooting from three during Adidas circuit play in April.
"He went to another level of scoring against higher level opponents," D1 Minnesota coach Al Harris said. "He's about as efficient as they come in the country. And then he has the size to compare with a lot of guards."
Chatman and his D1 Minnesota teammate Boden Kapke, a 6-11 junior from Holy Family, both have Gophers offers. They attended games at the Barn from behind the bench last season.
Chatman noticed fan excitement about the direction of the Gophers program under Johnson despite a 13-17 record in his first year. "A lot of people weren't expecting them to even do what they did with a whole new staff and basically a whole new team," he said, "So they definitely shocked me."
Chatman, a four-star 2023 prospect, had the Gophers' Ben Johnson and Kansas' Bill Self among the coaches following him this spring.
www.startribune.com
Go Gophers!!