Jamaal Tatum

Infobox NCAA Athlete
name = Jamaal Tatum


caption =
college = Southern Illinois
sport = Basketball
position = Shooting guard
class = Senior
career_start = 2003
career_end = 2007
nickname =
height_ft = 6
height_in = 2
weight_lb = 175
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1984|9|9
birth_place = Jefferson City, Missouri
highschool = Helias High School, Jefferson City, Missouri
awards = Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, 2007

Jamaal Tatum (born September 9, 1984 in Jefferson City, Missouri) is a guard for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA. He finished his senior season at 6'2" and 175 pounds (1.88 m, 80 kg).

As a high schooler, Tatum was a finalist as the Missouri Mr. Basketball, becoming the leading scorer at Helias High School in Jefferson City. He ended up setting the school record for points in a game (46). Tatum is noted for also lettering in football as a sophomore and soccer as a freshman, and consistently posting an excellent GPA, possibly due to both his parents being involved in the education system (Tatum's father is a professor of art at Lincoln University [cite web|url=http://www.lincolnu.edu/pages/606.asp |title=College of Liberal Arts, Education & Journalism Faculty and Staff Listing |publisher=Lincoln University (Missouri) |accessmonthday=March 19 |accessyear=2007 See James Tatum.] and his mother is the supervisor of Jefferson City Public Schools). In his first semester at SIU, Tatum posted a 4.0 GPA.

Rising to the status of a star basketball player at Southern Illinois, Tatum was known for his incredible quickness and great long-range shooting. In only his freshman season, he was second in the Missouri Valley Conference in three-point shooting (45.6%).

By the time he was a junior, he had led the Salukis back to prominence and took them to the 2006 NCAA Tournament as a #11 seed, where they would lose to West Virginia in the first round, but Tatum was named the CBS player of the game for his team. That year, he led the team in scoring (15 ppg) and received various Missouri Valley Conference awards.

In his final season as a Saluki, Tatum received Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors. Along with fellow senior Tony Young and star junior Randal Falker, Tatum brought the team high into the AP and coaches' poll, with a 27-6 record (including the MVC Tournament) and an RPI of #7 in the country, ahead of such powerhouses as Memphis (#8) and Kansas (#11). The Salukis received a #4 seed in the 2007 NCAA Tournament and went on to easily beat Holy Cross in the first round. Facing #5 seed Virginia Tech in the second round, they won surprisingly easily, holding the Hokies to just 48 points with great defense, winning 63-48. Tatum had 21 points and was 7-for-15 from field goal range in the win. They next faced top-seeded Kansas, and lost a tight game, 61-58. Tatum came up with some big shots at the end, but his 19 points wasn't enough to defeat the Jayhawks. However, with their 29th win of the season coming against Virginia Tech, the Salukis surpassed the win total of the 2001 team.

Tatum signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Atlanta Hawks in 2007, playing with them during training camp, but did not earn a spot on the final roster. He was drafted 4th overall in the D-League draft by the Idaho Stampede but was waived before he played in a game due to injury. On August 27, 2008 he signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Portland Trail Bblazers.

ources

* [http://siusalukis.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/tatum_jamaal00.html Official SIU Salukis bio]
* [http://hoopsaddict.com/2007/05/18/jamaal-tatum-interview-pursuit-of-the-nba/ Jamaal Tatum Interview: Pursuit of the NBA]
* [http://www.nba.com/hawks/feature/2007_Training_Camp_Central.html Atlanta Hawks training camp roster]

Notes and references