Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, California — northwest of Los Angeles — is establishing itself as the West Coast capital for high school basketball talent. Kentucky signee BJ Boston and Stanford recruit Ziaire Williams just finished their careers. We know all about the Bronny James hype. Dwyane Wade's son, Zaire, added to the star power before he transferred due to conflicts with head coach Andre Chevalier.
Tucked among the elite basketball players is 2022 shooting guard Amari Bailey, who has all the tools to charge the Trail Blazers.
Amari Bailey Highlights
I love Bailey's attitude. He plays with an edge and mean mugs opponents or flexes after completing a big play. You want his competitiveness on your team. At 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, Bailey sizes up well with guards. His lengthy wingspan shows the potential for even more physical growth and creates a wall for offensive players. His reaction time is uncanny. He can block perimeter attempts off the dribble and rotate down to swat away post shots. The junior-to-be in 2020-21 has impeccable timing and major hops. He hangs in the air when going for blocks. He's equivalent to the linebacker who's in on every tackle.
Bailey eats by slashing to the rim. He uses that jumping ability to dunk in transition and finds the open spot around the hoop as his teammates drive. With the ball, the five-star favors going left to his strong hand. He whips out a powerful Euro step to shift by defenders on the way to the rim. The Sierra Canyon guard is a natural at offensive rebounding.
As a shooter, Bailey favors spot-up looks. If there's a smaller defender on him, he can evaluate the defense and fire. His shot has a lot of room to grow. Overall, Bailey's upside is outstanding.
Amari Bailey Basketball Recruiting
Bailey is currently the sixth-ranked player in the Class of 2022, according to 247Sports' Composite player rankings. ESPN ranks him fourth nationally behind Emoni Bates, Jalen Duren, and Caleb Houstan. The Chicago native originally committed to play college basketball at DePaul in eighth grade. He de-committed and pivoted to UCLA as a freshman. He withdrew his committment from the Bruins last summer and reopened his recruitment.
Bailey holds major offers from Alabama and Kansas. He also has interest from Kentucky and Michigan. Given that he has two more years of high school, there is plenty of time to rack up more scholarships.
I'm all aboard the Amari Bailey train. He has the makings to be Sierra Canyon's next big star and an impactful NBA player.
