Next big thing in Minnesota high school hoops: Totino-Grace guard Taison Chatman

Totino-Grace's Taison Chatman was the catalyst for a state title run as a playmaking, do-it-all junior guard. National rankings services have seen enough potential to place him among the top 30 players in his class since his sophomore year.

Sound familiar? Not long ago, Minnehaha Academy's Jalen Suggs walked a similar path as a highly touted 6-4 point guard who combined above-the-rim explosiveness with court vision, with advanced leadership and basketball acumen.

The biggest thing in the backcourt since Suggs out of Minnesota's talented high school ranks appears to be Chatman, the state's No. 1 player in the 2023 class. He's reminding coaches how deep the state is in producing big men and guards as well.

"It seems like they're finally starting to wake up," Chatman said. "Chet [Holmgren] and Jalen kind of paved the way. I expect in the next few years there will be even more highly rated players coming out of Minnesota."

Chatman, ranked 27th by 247Sports.com and PrepHoops.com, has been a top priority for the Gophers since Ben Johnson and his staff took over last year.

National champion Kansas and Hall of Fame coach Bill Self showed up in the Twin Cities in April to offer Chatman — something not seen since the Jayhawks coveted Suggs a few years ago.

As much as Chatman welcomes offers from blue bloods, his main goal this AAU season is more team-oriented than personal. He could end up playing anywhere in college, including for his home state Big Ten program.

"I really like what he's doing with the program so far," Chatman said about Johnson and the Gophers.

Chatman's smooth shooting stroke and shifty handles seem so natural, along with his court vision. He picks his moments to blow by defenders and put them on highlights. He's a three-level scorer: threes, mid-range, slashing.

Less than a month after leading Totino-Grace to the Class 3A title at Williams Arena, Chatman made his mark with D1 Minnesota this spring and proved once again he belonged among the nation's elite playmakers. He averaged 19 points on 40% shooting from three during Adidas circuit play in April.

"He went to another level of scoring against higher level opponents," D1 Minnesota coach Al Harris said. "He's about as efficient as they come in the country. And then he has the size to compare with a lot of guards."

Even before taking over this spring, Chatman displayed the tools that put him on par with any guard in his class. He silenced critics who pointed to his 14 points per game as a junior last season as a lack of dominance.

Chatman also averaged seven rebounds and seven assists for arguably the most talented team in the state. The Eagles played one of the toughest schedules in the Midwest. Two teammates signed to D-I schools: Demarion Watson (Iowa State) and Ahjany Lee (St. Thomas).

"For him, the talent to produce has always been there since his first appearance with us at the Gophers team camp when he was an eighth-grader," Eagles coach Nick Carroll said. "Areas where he's really starting to blossom is being more vocal, physical, and defending. More of the winning stuff that doesn't get public praise."

Chatman's most visible growth has been physical: flirting with 6-5 and bulking up from 170 to 185 pounds since last year. That's allowing him to finish through contact more at the rim, regularly dunking over unsuspecting opponents.

"I think strength has been a big area where I've grown," he said. "Overall, I've just been sharpening all my tools: my pull-up [jumpers] and my ball handling."

Chatman and his D1 Minnesota teammate Boden Kapke, a 6-11 junior from Holy Family, both have Gophers offers. They attended games at the Barn from behind the bench last season.

Chatman noticed fan excitement about the direction of the Gophers program under Johnson despite a 13-17 record in his first year. "A lot of people weren't expecting them to even do what they did with a whole new staff and basically a whole new team," he said, "So they definitely shocked me."

The Gophers haven't landed the No. 1 player in the state since Amir Coffey in 2016. Cretin-Derham Hall's Tre Holloman, the state's top senior, will play for Michigan State next season.

With stock rising faster than any player in Minnesota, Chatman, who recently picked up offers from Ohio State and LSU, could be caught up in hype — but status is not a concern.

"I just want to go out and show college coaches what I can really do," he said. "Then I'm really just trying to find the best fit for me and my family — where I can progress the most."