2019 Rankings Breakdown: Most Athletic
The social media age has truly changed the way many see the game of basketball.
With so many outlets now dedicated to shooting, editing and producing “mixtapes” of the most flashy plays or most authoritative poster dunks, elite athletes are all the rage across Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, drawing hundreds of thousands of views, clicks, retweets and comments.
There are a plethora of standout athletes across Southern California high school basketball, and while a couple on this list are well-known for their highlight reel dunks, a few others made the cut due to their dual-sport prowess.
5. Sean Harlston (Dominguez/Earl Watson Elite)
Harlston is the first of three two-sport athletes on this list as he is also the quarterback of the Dominguez High football team in addition to his shooting guard duties. The 6-3 wing is explosive in transition and half-court settings and looks to dunk everything when attacking the rim.
4. Jaxen Turner (Rancho Verde/Cal Supreme)
Turner is an absolute menace on both the gridiron and hardwood. As starting free safety at Rancho Verde, the 6-2 Turner had 10 interceptions on the year and collected 48 total tackles. The guard is a blur with the ball in transition, has elite ability to change speeds and direction and can finish at the basket with power and finesse.
3. Darren Jones (Cajon/California United)
Jones has that uncanny combination of speed, leaping ability and dexterity for a guy who stands at 6-8. As depicted in the 2019 “Most Versatile” story, Jones has and inside-out skill set on the basketball court complete with touch to 3-point range. What some don’t know about him, though, is that he’s also a standout wide receiver. Jones was unable to play football at Cajon last year after transferring from Upland, but caught 19 balls for 437 yards and five touchdowns his freshman season at Upland.
Cassius Stanley was the clear-cut choice for most athletic in the 2019 Class. Photo Credit: Matt Moreno, GOAZCATS.com2. Kenyon Martin, Jr. (Sierra Canyon/Cal Supreme)
Yes, Martin, Jr. is the son of former NBA high flyer Kenyon Martin who spent 15 seasons in the league, and yes, Martin, Jr. did inherit his father’s explosiveness. The 6-7 forward has impressive leaping ability off of both one and two feet, can finish above the rim through contact, and has victimized countless defenders with his cocked back left-handed flushes.
1. Cassius Stanley (Sierra Canyon/Earl Watson Elite)
Stanley is the poster boy for what was discussed above about mixtapes and clicks and views and retweets. You name it and Stanley gets them. His leaping ability, ferocious dunks and all-around athleticism has been compared to current Toronto Raptors star DeMar DeRozan on numerous occasions. Stanley is effortless when he leaves the floor and glides through the air with ease before throwing down any kind of dunk one can think of.