that he was pursuing him effectively at that point in time.
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/07/26/4368740/mu-makes-strong-play-for-jayson.html
Before Tatum had even played a high school game, Haith — who had long been eying Tatum — extended a scholarship offer. It would be the first of many for Tatum, but it was his first, nonetheless.
When interviewed Thursday at a local AAU tournament in held Shawnee, it became abundantly clear that neither Tatum, nor his basketball coach of a father, Justin, has forgotten that, though a college decision remains perhaps years away.
“It plays a (factor) in my decision, to see who noticed me first or took a chance on me,” said Jayson. “It does mean a lot to me.”
“It’s an honor to get a scholarship offer to any school right now, but for Mizzou to do it, it lets our family know that Coach Haith and his coaching staff is really on point,” said his father Justin, who played basketball for St. Louis University and professionally in the Netherlands. “They don’t want to lose any other big-time players coming out of St. Louis, or at least not have a chance to recruit them.”
But Justin said it’s evident Missouri, led by Haith and lead recruiter Tim Fuller — who Jayson said routinely cracks him up — has made his son a priority for the Class of 2016.
“Coach Haith is a good guy, just a down-to-earth type of person and he’ll keep it real with you, and I really respect him for that,” Justin said. “(He) and his coaching staff have really been on (Jayson), showing up to games during the course of the open period like ‘Hey, we really want you here.’”
“Location also has a lot to do with it. I’m a hometown guy. I’d like my parents to come to most of my games. And I’d look at where I feel most comfortable, where I could be on the floor to help the team win the most games. They’re in the mix,” Justin said, when asked specifically about Mizzou.
“His grandmother is a big Mizzou fan, and he loves her to death. I think Mizzou is going to be right at the top of the chart," says Justin.
“They were the first (to offer),” Jayson said. “They reach out quite often to check on me to see how I’m doing. They come to my games, they have great tradition there … they don’t get as many St. Louis guys as I or people from St. Louis would like them to, but they have a great program.”