One of the things I like to do in my spare time, being a basketball nerd, is watching some of the basketball mixtapes the best high school prospects from around the country have on YouTube. The reason that I find this exercise so enjoyable is because these are guys with college and even NBA-level talent and aspirations, and they're going up against peers who have no way of competing with them, thus producing more incredible highlights. If you want to enjoy yourself watching people much more talented than you or I, read (and watch) on.
5) Cassius Stanley
This guy is in 9th grade in this video. 9th Grade! A freshman! Stanley is the sixth ranked prospect in the class of 2019, and you can see why. I've hardly ever seen anyone who can jump like Stanley does. His bounce is very similar to Gerald Green, because he just glides, staying up in the air forever. He basically spends the entire 2:48 of this video with his head at or above the rim. And if he's not doing that, he's breaking someone's ankles in the open court. And he's a freshman! He's only going to get better! My God.
Favorite Highlight: At the end of the video, 2:17, Stanley is alone in the open court and whips out a between-the-legs, two-handed reverse dunk. I mean, how much more athletic can the guy get?
4) Kwe Parker
Parker may have the most incredible natural vertical I've ever seen. He's 6'2 and he's doing stuff like this? Are you kidding me? The number of times that his whole forehead is above the rim is astounding. What's even more impressive is how much he can do with the ball in the air at his size. His hang time is what strikes me the most, because he can do so many things after he's hit his initial peak. Which brings me to...
Favorite Highlight: It's actually not his famous twisting, cupping, tomahawk dunk. It's at the 0:17 mark when he tips the ball to himself from left hand to right hand in the air and slams it down. Oh, and his neck is at the rim.
3) John Wall
The OG Hoopmixtape. I remember watching this as an 11-year-old with my friend Will, freaking out about the left-handed dunks, insane blocks, 360 lay-ups, etc. That type of variety is what sets the next three videos apart, because while it's fun to watch Parker and Stanley above the rim for 2 minutes, Wall combines that with crazy acrobatic passes and lay-ups and unfathomable ball handling and flashy rim protection.
Favorite Highlight: Okay, so I'm going to cheat a little bit here. I'm going to discuss three plays in this mixtape, but it's alright because they're all in succession in the video, which makes it about 20 times cooler. It all starts at 2:39, when he splits two guys around half-court, loses the ball, and regains control of it just in time to hit a guy with a 360 lay-up. Then he makes a pass to a teammate on the left-wing, who misses a three, only Wall comes out of nowhere to to throw the ball in from way above the rim. Then he somehow pulls out a between-the-legs, double behind the back, crossover move on this poor unsuspecting sucker who had the misfortune of guarding John Wall in high school. This video is the stuff of legends.
2) Aquille Carr
They say the crime rate went down in Baltimore when Aquille Carr played, and I believe it from his mixtape. If I knew some 5'6 guy was dunking, hanging in the air for eternity, and breaking ankles, I wouldn't be trying to jack a car, either. I can't even explain how Carr makes his body do the things on the tape. It's inimitable, it's mind-boggling. He changes direction so quickly and stays in the sky forever when he takes off. If you don't understand, just watch the video.
Favorite Highlight: At 1:27, Carr gets the ball in the backcourt and some genius getting back on defense decides to reach for the ball. Carr goes between his legs and behind his back to avoid his arm, and just to embarrass the poor guy even more, starts dribbling up the court between his legs in the most exaggerated, disrespectful way possible. Again, my words don't really do it justice, so watch the video if you're confused. It's not the craziest move he makes, but it shows the absolute contempt he had for his "competition".
1) Marcus Lovett Jr.
5) Cassius Stanley
This guy is in 9th grade in this video. 9th Grade! A freshman! Stanley is the sixth ranked prospect in the class of 2019, and you can see why. I've hardly ever seen anyone who can jump like Stanley does. His bounce is very similar to Gerald Green, because he just glides, staying up in the air forever. He basically spends the entire 2:48 of this video with his head at or above the rim. And if he's not doing that, he's breaking someone's ankles in the open court. And he's a freshman! He's only going to get better! My God.
Favorite Highlight: At the end of the video, 2:17, Stanley is alone in the open court and whips out a between-the-legs, two-handed reverse dunk. I mean, how much more athletic can the guy get?
4) Kwe Parker
Parker may have the most incredible natural vertical I've ever seen. He's 6'2 and he's doing stuff like this? Are you kidding me? The number of times that his whole forehead is above the rim is astounding. What's even more impressive is how much he can do with the ball in the air at his size. His hang time is what strikes me the most, because he can do so many things after he's hit his initial peak. Which brings me to...
Favorite Highlight: It's actually not his famous twisting, cupping, tomahawk dunk. It's at the 0:17 mark when he tips the ball to himself from left hand to right hand in the air and slams it down. Oh, and his neck is at the rim.
3) John Wall
Favorite Highlight: Okay, so I'm going to cheat a little bit here. I'm going to discuss three plays in this mixtape, but it's alright because they're all in succession in the video, which makes it about 20 times cooler. It all starts at 2:39, when he splits two guys around half-court, loses the ball, and regains control of it just in time to hit a guy with a 360 lay-up. Then he makes a pass to a teammate on the left-wing, who misses a three, only Wall comes out of nowhere to to throw the ball in from way above the rim. Then he somehow pulls out a between-the-legs, double behind the back, crossover move on this poor unsuspecting sucker who had the misfortune of guarding John Wall in high school. This video is the stuff of legends.
2) Aquille Carr
Favorite Highlight: At 1:27, Carr gets the ball in the backcourt and some genius getting back on defense decides to reach for the ball. Carr goes between his legs and behind his back to avoid his arm, and just to embarrass the poor guy even more, starts dribbling up the court between his legs in the most exaggerated, disrespectful way possible. Again, my words don't really do it justice, so watch the video if you're confused. It's not the craziest move he makes, but it shows the absolute contempt he had for his "competition".
1) Marcus Lovett Jr.
This isn't even Lovett's senior year tape (although that one is pretty cool, too). This is when Lovett was a sophomore, and it's incredible the how many ankles he shattered at such a young age. The number of defenders falling over due to Lovett's crazy handle makes it seem like a Life Alert video on steroids. Lovett's handle, even then, is reminiscent of Jamal Crawford, so it's no surprise he drops defenders to their knees and backsides regularly. The other thing I like about Lovett is that he's cocky and knows he can back it up. He starts out the video by nailing a three right in someone's mug and yelling "He can't guard me!" He follows that by making someone fall and then pointing at them with a contemptuous look and an arrogant shake of his head. You gotta love it.
Favorite Highlight: I love the one at the very end of the video where Lovett strings about 75 different moves together in a millisecond, but I'm going to pick the one at 0:13 where he hits a defender with a step-back crossover so vicious, it makes the poor kid fall to the floor with the power of a thousand suns. I'm surprised the kid got up. That's the brilliance of Lovett's handle; he's so good at going hard one way and being able to transition to another direction both seemingly and incredibly hard. He's just impossible for mere high school players to guard.
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