East Stroudsburg South's Jaen Chatman awaits elusive first offer during stellar season
Jaen Chatman is one of the top players in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and undoubtedly one of the best five players in Monroe County. He's one of the leading scorers in the state who surpassed 1,000 career points as a junior. Yet, he's still without an official scholarship offer.
"I don't have any offers yet, only interests," Chatman said. "I've spoken to one of the coaches at East Stroudsburg University. I've also talked to Iona, Lafayette, Navy and Radford so far."
Chatman is regarded as one of the top players in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and is a leading candidate for Monroe County Player of the Year, while being a surefire First Team selection for both entities. There could be a couple of reasons that a college coach has yet to pull the trigger, but according to his head coach, Shawn Munford, Chatman's first offer is definitely on the horizon.
Making history: East Stroudsburg South's Jaen Chatman reaches 1,000 career points against Parkland
"I think it's coming," Munford said. "I stress to Jaen to be patient. He's obviously put in the work with his body, he's a straight-A student now. As long as he keeps doing what he's supposed to do, it'll come.
"He's getting attention from some mid-major and low-major Division I schools, some Division II schools as well, but a good number of low-major D-I schools. His job is to keep playing, and we'll do what we can throughout the year and the summer to ensure we get something officially on his radar."
Chatman said he plans to take some visits after the season concludes, and it's probable he'll continue playing for the New Jersey Panthers over the summer, a program in the Hoop Group Showcase League.
It's a safe bet to think a program will pull the trigger on the rising senior, whether it's one of the programs mentioned earlier, another local program like Lehigh (who's also been in contact with him), or a new name entirely. What to watch now is who will be first.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: One of Monroe Co.'s best basketball players awaits elusive first offer
