The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

A star in the making

As Darren Brooks' star shone during March's season-ending loss to Alabama, a nebula was quietly blooming behind him in the Saluki backcourt.

Brooks, already a certified super giant in the midst of a supernova, was making shot after shot, converting 10 of 15 field goals and nearly winning the game for the Salukis.

But in the background was skinny freshman Jamaal Tatum, who gave SIU a taste of the future in the final minutes. Tatum showed his future as the leader of this team. Not in the shots he made, putting down only 2 of 9, but in the shots he took.

Tatum took huge shots down the stretch - and missed them - but the fact a freshman was willing to fearlessly take the shots he did, speaks very loudly of his poise and his future in the program.

Tatum was surprised to even be out there, but then-head coach Matt Painter seemed to believe in him, and he took it to heart.

"I did feel that I did have more of a leadership role even then just because I was on the floor so late in the game," Tatum said.

Look for more of the same this season from Tatum, and expect to see it for three more years. When Brooks is gone, SIU will still have an athletic guard that can do it all. And during this season, the Salukis have one more person to take charge on the court.

Tatum is a natural leader, an easy impression to come away with after talking to him even one time. He's also a great counterpart to Brooks, who is more of a quiet lead-by-example type.

While Brooks keeps things serious, Tatum will be doing something ridiculous like putting on a Saluki football helmet as he did on media day to keep the team loose. The team needs both personalities, and the Brooks-Tatum dynamic could lead to some stellar intangibles.

Let's say the team is suffering through a terrible shooting day, one as bad as the 2003 MVC championship when the Salukis shot 15.6 percent from the field in the first half.

Brooks is there to tell the team it's not over and hit some shots to get them back in the game, and Tatum is there to crack a joke to relax the team and make sure shots start falling.

Tatum's recent antics have some dubbing him the new Sylvester Willis, our dearly departed quote machine and team prankster.

Tatum rebuffs this, cracking a joke at Willis' expense.

"I'm the new Jamaal Tatum," he said. "I don't want to be Sly. Sly's head is too big."

He is obviously not insulting Willis, and if his jokes can loosen up a reporter it's bound to have a positive effect on his teammates. Tatum will charm reporters in the years to come by talking conversationally, yet pumping out quote after golden quote.

Fortunately for SIU basketball, Tatum's game matches his charisma. Once he develops, there really won't be any weakness in Tatum's game. He can make a shot from anywhere on the court, drive to the basket, pass, play defense and make free throws.

There's a reason he was recruited by Utah, Creighton, Nebraska and Iowa State.

Tatum, though, is adamant about this being Brooks' team in 2004-2005. But at the same time, he will never be afraid to take the last shot if need be.

This could be especially useful if situations like the Alabama game come up again, times when everyone in the building knows Brooks is going to get the ball. Tatum is an additional threat, and is one of the most important players to the team's success this year.

With Tatum's expected increase in playing time and his status as a starter, SIU will have two playmakers on the court at all times. Last year, with Tatum on the bench behind Bryan Turner, Brooks was the only person on the team who could create his own shot or get enough penetration for a kick-out.

The two could be SIU's dynamic duo offensively and could provide a few highlights. And when Brooks is gone, hopefully duking it out in the NBA, Tatum will be the star Brooks is now.

He'll be the high-flying, do-no wrong top Dawg - and it may have all started with a few missed shots in the NCAA tournament.