TIGER BASKETBALL

Recruiting: Brighton's Taelyr Gatlin finds his shot and colleges take notice

Mark Giannotto
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Brighton basketball star Taelyr Gatlin is beginning to pick up high major recruiting interest.

The sequence began with a step-back 3-pointer. On the next possession came another swish from beyond the arc. Then, as Brighton point guard Taelyr Gatlin stormed down the court again, he flicked a perfect behind-the-back pass to a teammate for an easy lay-in.

This was only a summer league game as part of the Jerry Peters Summer Classic at Memphis University School on Thursday. But it also may have been a glimpse into the progress that could eventually turn Gatlin from an under-the-radar recruit into a sought-after commodity once college basketball’s live evaluation period resumes next month.

“What I’ve seen is coaches like to see scorers, so I felt like I should be more aggressive offensively than defensively sometimes and show what I can do,” Gatlin said.

Interest in Gatlin, the son of Brighton boys’ basketball coach Stan Gatlin, is starting to pick up as his senior year approaches. Though Tennessee Tech is the only Division I school to offer a scholarship to the 6-foot-3 point guard, Mississippi State, West Virginia, Murray State, Chattanooga, East Tennessee State, Wofford and Campbell have been inquiring about him lately.

They could pull the trigger if Gatlin shines in July with Mississippi-based Jackson Tigers. He's already planning to visit Chattanooga this week. The surge in attention is a welcome relief after what Stan Gatlin described as “a very dry April.”

That, however, prompted the Gatlins to go back to the gym and adjust. Taelyr Gatlin already showed off his prototypical size, on-court IQ and pass-first instincts during a successful run to the Class AAA sectionals this winter with Brighton, but Stan Gatlin decided his son’s shot needed tweaking.

The results showed a few weeks ago at a Mississippi State camp that prompted the Bulldogs to become more involved in Gatlin’s recruitment. Though it can be complicated being the coach's son, Taelyr Gatlin realizes his father's prodding is making him more of an all-around threat.

“It’s hard, but then again I understand he wants the best for me,” Taelyr Gatlin said of playing for his father. “He wants to see me succeed, so I understand why he’s hard on me. I like it. ... I just worked a lot harder than I did before last summer and during the season last season. I wasn’t really shooting the ball well, in my opinion, until the beginning of this summer.”

The rest of the summer is shaping up to be even more eventful.

Olive Branch's Joe Cooper (3) tries to get by Forest Hill's Quaylon Lee (0) on Monday, January 16, 2017, in the Rumble in the South high school basketball tournament at the A.E. Wood Coliseum on the Mississippi College campus in Clinton, Miss.

Olive Branch's Cooper back on the rise

When East and Olive Branch took the floor to face another last week in Olive Branch, it didn’t feel like a typical summer league game. Elite talent littered the court, with Olive Branch’s D.J. Jeffries and East’s entire starting lineup drawing attention from some of the biggest college basketball teams in the country.

But then Olive Branch played two-time defending Tennessee AAA state champion East to a virtual stalemate, with East winning on a free throw by point guard Alex Lomax during a sudden death overtime, and it became clear the Conquistadors are much more than a one-player show.

In addition to Jeffries, who is ranked No. 7 nationally in the 2019 class by Scout, perhaps the most noteworthy prospect right now is junior Joe Cooper.

The son of former Memphis sharpshooter Rodney Newsom was considered one of the nation’s top point guards coming out of middle school, but saw his development stall in recent years. Injuries, including a fractured knee as a freshman and a broken hand that forced him to miss the April evaluation period, were the primary culprit.

“We got a lot of attention because he was one of the best shooters at Memphis, so everywhere we went, people knew who we were,” Cooper said. “I dealt with a lot of injuries, so I haven’t been able to play. But now, everything is getting back on track.”

The 6-foot junior always had superior vision and a rugged style driving the lane, but admits his defense and shooting remain areas where he can improve. He will play for the Adidas-sponsored Atlanta Celtics next month hoping to expand a scholarship list that includes Middle Tennessee State, Southern Miss, Tennessee-Martin and Winthrop. Cooper said Memphis, Ole Miss, Florida and Stanford are also showing interest and recently took an unofficial visit to Southern Miss.

It was a good sign then that Cooper didn’t look overmatched going toe-to-toe with Lomax, the two-time defending Class AAA Mr. Basketball. Along with Jeffries, sophomore Cameron Matthews and a strong nucleus of emerging prospects, Olive Branch appears ready to make a run at a Mississippi state title.

Lomax “is one of the best point guards I’ve ever played, so it was fun,” Cooper said. “And in front of Penny (Hardaway), who’s like a legend, it was real good. We learned we can play with anyone in the country and we’re just as good as anybody really.”

Memphis East center Malcolm Dandridge, right, fouls Southwind forward Kameron Jones (23) during the first half of the Tennessee Division I AAA boys' high school basketball championship game Saturday, March 18, 2017, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)

Memphis starts 2019 recruiting push 

On June 15, college coaches could officially make direct contact over the phone with 2019 recruits. At least eight announced Memphis offers on social media. Notable prospects included Oak Hill guard Josh Nickelberry, the cousin of incoming freshman David Nickelberry; West Point, Miss., point guard Austin Crowley; and forward Vernon Carey, who is considered one of the top recruits in the country out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Among local prospects, East big man Malcolm Dandridge said he spoke with Tigers Coach Tubby Smith, and Memphis also reached out to Jeffries, who plays alongside Dandridge on Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League with Team Penny.

By Wednesday, the Tigers had made contact with East forward Antavion “Dude” Collum. All three players had received offers from Memphis.