High school senior Jayson Tatum has spent much of his life in a city best known for the Gateway Arch.
But the future Blue Devil will be representing the Golden Arches in nearly two months time.
The St. Louis native was one of two future Blue Devils selected Sunday night to participate in the McDonald's All-American game March 30 in Chicago. Tatum will suit up for the East team and take on future teammate Frank Jackson, who is on the West team.
Duke(Tatum & Jackson), Michigan State (Bridges & Langford) & UCLA (Ball & Leaf) each landed a pair of McDonald's All-Americans.
— Evan Daniels (@EvanDaniels) January 18, 2016
Tatum and Jackson were the only players selected from Missouri and Utah, respectively, and will be two of 24 players participating in the game. Although Duke had one more selection than North Carolina, both ACC schools fell short of Kentucky, which placed four incoming recruits on the roster for the game.
But this season's McDonald's All-American game will be missing two of the high school game's biggest stars as top-ranked recruit Harry Giles and No. 4 recruit Dennis Smith Jr. are both recovering from ACL tears. Giles—who committed to Duke in November—is back home rehabbing and is expected to be ready by training camp next season.
The Blue Devils will have a chance to add to their tally in the coming months as the recruitment of center Marques Bolden plays out. The Dallas native is being heavily recruited by Kansas, Kentucky and Duke.
A third Blue Devil will also be playing in the United Center come March 30, as high school senior Leaonna Odom was also named a McDonald's All-American. The wing has accumulated impressive stats playing for Chaminade Prep High School in California. Odom committed to Duke in November and is the No. 9 prospect in the country.
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