Four-star shooting guard Cassius Stanley, the No. 31-ranked player in the 2019 class according to Rivals.com, Tweeted on Thursday afternoon that a “big announcement” was coming Friday.
Stanley, who currently has plans to visit KU for Late Night on Sept. 28, hails from Sierra Canyon High in North Hollywood, Calif., and is a 6-foot-5, 170-pound guard with crazy athleticism.
Ranked No. 5 nationally at his position, Stanley is much more than the shooter his position suggests.
With incredible hops and a fearless mentality, there is not a place on the floor where Stanley struggles to make a play. According to KUsports.com recruiting insider Matt Scott, Stanley’s insane athleticism — which includes bounce, speed and balance — have made him one of the more exciting prospects in the 2019 class.
“His highlight reels on YouTube have become must-see for many fans because of his gravity-defying dunks,” Scott wrote recently. “However, Stanley is more than just a dunker. Stanley has worked hard on his all-around game over the past few years. His athletic ability puts defenders on their heels, which allows him to blow by them or shoot a pull-up jumper.”
Several analysts have considered USC the favorite throughout his recruitment, but I’ve heard that Kansas has made some serious progress in impressing Stanley and his family during recent weeks. Beyond that, it sounds like USC has fallen off and that Oregon might be KU’s biggest competition in this one.
KU coach Bill Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend were in California last week for an in-home visit with Stanley, who recently said that KU, USC, UCLA, Oregon, Texas and South Carolina — in no particular order — were the schools that had put in the most work recruiting him.
At this point, I’d put KU’s shot of getting Stanley at about 50-50. I think they’re ahead of several schools on his list but are not yet at the finish line. If they do get him, Stanley’s commitment would be the second of the week from a shooting guard in the 2019 class, [with local prospect Christian Braun announcing his commitment to KU on Monday.][1]
One thing worth noting about Stanley and Braun — [Scott said on our latest Recruiting Trail podcast][2] that the two guards’ games seem to be complementary and would not get in each other’s way at all if both wound up coming to Kansas.
Whether that’s what happens or not remains to be seen. But it looks like we should know more in the next 24 hours or so.
Stay tuned…
Big Announcement Coming Tomorrow‼️????
— Cassius Stanley (@cassius_stanley) September 20, 2018
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2018/sep/17/christian-braun-commitment/?mens_basketball
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/podcasts/ku-sports-hour/2018/sep/18/chrisitan-braun-breaks-down-his-comment-kansas/
