Stanley ready for the big time
ST. LOUIS -- When the class of 2019 gets ranked for the first time after the summer, expect ultra athletic shooting guard Cassius Stanley to debut as a five-star prospect. Already a YouTube sensation, Stanley is as prepared as any sophomore-to-be can be for the attention that will come with an early five-star designation.
The 6-foot-5 product of North Hollywood (Calif.) Harvard-Westlake is the product of parents who know all about big time sports. His father Jerome Stanley is an agent who has been representing professional athletes for nearly 30 years while his mother Tonya Sedwick was a star heptathlete and long jumper.
"I value that experience all the time," Stanley told Rivals.com. "It's great to have somebody in the house who knows the do's and don'ts. Also my mom, she ran track at the collegiate level and the Olympic level and I can ask her how it was and she can teach me about preparation. It's great to have two people in the house that I can ask questions to all the time."
No doubt the experience of Stanley's parents has played a big part in his development, especially his maturity. On and off the floor he carries himself like a much older and mature player. That mental maturity allows him to shake off things like a minor injury he suffered at last weekend's Nike Elite 100 and perform.
"I think camp was above average," said Stanley. "I got hurt the second day and I think it messed with my head a little bit but I came back strong the next couple of days and finished up pretty strong."
Stanley already has offers from USC, UCLA and Alabama while Texas, Oklahoma State, Arizona and West Virginia are among those showing strong early interest. He's currently a wing player, but he's looking to transition his game. Playing up two age groups in Nike's EYBL has certainly helped him.
"I see myself as more of a combo guard," said Stanley. "I'm more of a two right now but I'm trying to shift my game towards the one. I'm getting to learn from guys like DeAndre Ayton, the best player in the country, and lots of other great players on California Supreme and it's good to learn from them and be able to come out and use those things that I'm learning from them in the EYBL."
Finally, while the future five-star loves the slick mixtape videos that have hit YouTube showing his aerial antics, he wants people to know that he's not just a dunker.
"Dunking isn't a strength because that only happens once or twice in a game," said Stanley. "I think my strengths are really things like facilitating, especially coming off of ball screens, getting good shots, creating shots for other people. Every time I go out I want to show those people with preconceived notions that I'm just a dunker that I'm an actual basketball player."