Duke basketball: Jayson Tatum joins coaching staff on recruiting trail

Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum made a special visit on the recruiting trail. 

Jon Scheyer brought in a recruiting reinforcement to the Nike EYBL circuit along with the rest of his Duke basketball staff this weekend in Atlanta as Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum sat with the coaches.

Tatum joined Scheyer, Amile Jefferson, Jai Lucas, and Chris Carrawell as the New York Renaissance, led by major Duke targets Dylan Harper and Tyler Betsey, battled JL3 Elite on Saturday evening.

The former Blue Devil standout was in the area as the Celtics played the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the NBA Playoffs and it says a lot for how much Tatum loves the Duke basketball program and his relationship with the current coaching staff that he would find the time in the midst of a playoff series to join them on the recruiting circuit.

Tatum and the Celtics were coming off of a Game 3 loss on Friday night before taking a commanding 3-1 series lead following its Game 4 victory on Sunday.

Jayson Tatum, during his only season at Duke, played with Amile Jefferson and was coached by then assistant Jon Scheyer as the Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament during the 2016-17 campaign.

Duke basketball looking for recruiting momentum

Duke currently only holds a verbal commitment from Class of 2024 4-star sharpshooter Darren Harris despite its continued interest in prospects like Harper, Betsey, Isaiah Evans, and more.

Harper did not update his recruitment following the first live session of the season but has narrowed his list down to five finalists of Duke, Rutgers, Kansas, Indiana, and Auburn.

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The Don Bosco Prep (NJ) standout has said that he could announce his commitment after Peach Jam in July.

Duke has already completed an in-home visit with Betsey and recently hosted Evans on an official visit but no timetables have been set for commitments.