STANFORD, Calif. – One of the country’s top two-way guards has signed with the Stanford men’s basketball program, as announced by Anne and Tony Joseph Director of Men’s Basketball Kyle Smith. Jaylen Petty (Seattle, Wash.) will join the program next season.
“Jaylen is an electric guard who can score in a variety of ways,” said Smith. “He has the ability to knock down long range shots, blow by opposing defenses and he is a lob threat as well. Although he is smaller in stature, he plays with a huge heart.”
Petty was a standout point guard at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, a high school program that has produced numerous high major stars and NBA players. For his senior season, Petty put together averages of 28 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals per game, including a 61-point outburst on Jan. 7.
Petty was named the 2024-25 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Washington, joining fellow signee Ebuka Okorie (New Hampshire) in becoming the Cardinal’s first signees to win Gatorade Player of the Year in their home state since Jaiden Delaire in Connecticut in 2018. Additionally, Petty was named Mr. Basketball for the state of Washington for all classifications.
Petty led Rainier Beach to the Washington Class 3A state championship, scoring 26 points in the title game en route to tournament MVP honors. He was also his conference’s Player of the Year as a senior, helping the program to a 28-3 overall record. He was named first team all-state and the Washington 3A Player of the Year.
“He comes from a powerhouse program, Rainier Beach, out of Seattle, which has produced numerous high major players and NBA talent,” continued Smith. “More importantly, Jaylen is an outstanding fit academically and culturally to our program. He has always excelled in the classroom and has always aspired to be a part of the Stanford community.”
Prior to his time at Rainier Beach, Petty was a two-time North Puget Sound League MVP as a sophomore and junior at Auburn High School, leading the program to a pair of state tournaments. He was also selected to the Iverson Classic 24K Showcase.
An explosive scorer and terrific on-ball defender, Petty is rated as a four-star recruit from ESPN and 247 Sports, and the 13th-ranked point guard in the country from 247. On3 and 247 rank Petty as the top-ranked recruit in the state of Washington.
“Jaylen has that "IT" factor that every coach wants in a player,” said Petty’s high school coach Mike Bethea. “He is the poster child for the adage ‘not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog.’”