Highly regarded combo guard from Minnesota to make Kansas Jayhawks recruiting visit
Taison Chatman, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound senior-to-be combo guard from Totino-Grace High School in Fridley, Minnesota, is scheduled to take an official men’s basketball recruiting visit to Kansas on Saturday and Sunday, according to On3.com and Rivals.com.
Chatman is ranked No. 26 in the recruiting Class of 2023 by 247sports.com, No. 63 by ESPN.com and On3.com and No, 69 by Rivals.com. His list of schools includes KU, Kansas State, Texas, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Marquette, Northwestern, Washington State, LSU, Ohio State, Virginia, UConn, Xavier, and others.
Kansas extended a scholarship offer to Chatman on April 27 following his junior season in which he averaged 13.5 points, 7.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds a game for state champion Totino-Grace High (26-6). He plays for D1 Minnesota on the spring and summer AAU circuit.
“Chatman is the best player in the state of Minnesota in 2023 and is no doubt the Gophers’ top priority at the guard spot,” wrote Shay Wildeboor of Jayhawkslant.com. “Since the spring live period, the four-star guard is drawing a lot of new interest which has included a recent offer from the defending national champions, Kansas. More blueblood programs will continue to monitor Chatman throughout the summer.”
Dan McDonald of Rivals.com wrote: “I love his size at 6-3 and athleticism for a point guard. He’s a talented scorer that also makes good decisions.”
Chatman is the highest-rated prospect from the state of Minnesota since Jalen Suggs of Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis, the No. 11 ranked player in the Class of 2020, who chose Gonzaga over KU and others.
Of Chatman, On3.com’s Jamie Shaw writes: “Taison Chatman has a basketball frame with good size and nice length. What stands out the most in his game is his ability to play in the pick and roll. He can make all the reads and does so with a never rushed pace. The motor can get hot and cold, and there are times when he looks disengaged. Chatman has deep range, and he is comfortable off the bounce or off the catch. He is an intriguing 2/1 combo guard who can play off the ball or initiate in certain offensive sets.”
“Chatman’s smooth shooting stroke and handles seem so natural, along with his court vision,” writes Marcus Fuller of the Star-Tribune “He picks his moments to blow by defenders and put them on highlights. He’s a three-level scorer: threes, mid-range, slashing.”
Chris Johnson planning visit to KU
Chris Johnson, a 6-6, 190-pound senior-to-be shooting guard from Montverde (Florida) Academy, is planning on visiting KU this summer, he told Rivals.com.
Johnson, who is from Fort Bend, Texas, is ranked No. 25 in the recruiting Class of 2023 by ESPN.com, No .33 by 247sports.com, No. 56 by On3.com and No. 58 by Rivals.com, also is setting up visits to Texas, Alabama, Arkansas and UConn..
“I’m definitely going to make that one,” Johnson said of a KU visit to Rivals.com. “They love my game and they’ve been on me since … pretty much a year and a half. I love that coaching staff.”
He said KU assistant coach Jeremy Case “is a real down-to-earth guy. He’s cool, but he lets you know the real. He doesn’t sugarcoat things. I like him.”
