<\/p>\n
Second in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, AJ McBean, Gardena Serra running back.<\/i><\/p>\n
Hidden from any spotlight and comfortable conducting his training and workouts anonymously while motivated by his own dreams and aspirations, AJ McBean has embraced the mindset every top athlete understands: Progress comes when no one else is watching.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been working pretty much myself,\u201d said the 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back who transferred from Mira Costa to Gardena Serra. \u201cI\u2019m self-made. I\u2019ve been training on my own just grinding … getting bigger, faster, stronger. I\u2019ve seen the progress.\u201d<\/p>\n
All it takes to understand how he\u2019s been turning himself into a freight train is seeing his time in the 100 meters on the track team in the spring. He started out running it in 10.61 seconds, his best opening mark in three years. Then came a 10.55.<\/p>\n
Not bad for someone who started with an 11.7 his freshman year and was down to 11.3 by season\u2019s end. That\u2019s the McBean mantra \u2014 keep improving.<\/p>\n
Track has been critical in his speed development, something that attracts immediate attention from college recruiters when a good 100-meter time comes out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a lot of texts and a lot of calls,\u201d he said after his 10.61. \u201cThat\u2019s legit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite ankle injuries the last two seasons, McBean has shown how well he can run with a football when healthy.<\/p>\n
As a senior, he wants to take his skills to another level, using his size and improved speed to become an all-around back, whether running, blocking or catching passes. He committed to Stanford in June.<\/p>\n
There really is a fearless gene circulating through his blood.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo sympathy,\u201d he says of a defender looking into his eyes and discovering his power, size and strength.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mindset going into any game is run through their face. If they\u2019re coming at me, I have no remorse going through them. If I need to go to the outside and beat them with speed, I can do that and it shows with my track time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Living in Hermosa Beach, he\u2019s grown up in an apartment 30 steps from the beach. He can surf, but he\u2019s gotten so big that he\u2019s switched to a long board.<\/p>\n
\u201cI gave up on the short board a couple years ago,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Once again, his athleticism comes through, riding a wave and showing his agility.<\/p>\n
The fitness center is where he spends hours. He says he\u2019s squatting more than 500 pounds and lifting 110-pound dumbbells.<\/p>\n
He lives in an area where spotting a pro athlete walking or working out is routine. McBean remembers seeing Cooper Kupp when he was with the Rams, and Pete Carroll too. In the gym, seeing how massive a pro athlete is drives McBean to never settle for being ordinary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see all the professionals working on their craft and can take that from them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The sand is good for recovery on Saturday mornings during the football season. He lives in an area where beach volleyball is beloved.<\/p>\n
\u201cI play a little bit of volleyball,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m not too good at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just like surfing, if he put his mind to it, he\u2019d get good at volleyball, but for now, football is the focus for him and his family. He said they\u2019re moving so he can be immediately eligible.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no telling how many yards he\u2019ll gain, how many touchdowns he\u2019ll score and how many passes he\u2019ll catch this fall considering what he has done this offseason. Only he knows what he\u2019s accomplished.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe in myself and trust myself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Thursday:<\/b> Austin Miller, Bellflower receiver.<\/p>\nRunning backs to watch<\/h2>\n
Maliq Allen, St. John Bosco, 5-8, 180, Sr.: Trying to return to sophomore form<\/p>\n
Makai Buchanan, Victor Valley, 6-1, 185, So.: Ran 10.37 seconds in 100 meters in spring<\/p>\n
Malaki Davis, Corona Centennial, 6-1, 220, Jr.: Big and powerful<\/p>\n
Kevika Mata\u2019utia-Martinez, La Habra, 6-0, 210, Sr.: Rushed for more than 1,400 yards<\/p>\n
AJ McBean, Mira Costa, 5-11, 210, Sr.: Stanford commit has speed and big-body strength<\/p>\n
Malachi McFarland, Damien, 5-10, 180, Sr.: His speed makes him a big-play asset<\/p>\n
Asir Nembhard, Mater Dei, 5-9, 175, So.: All signs point toward a breakout season<\/p>\n
Jaxsen Stokes, Sierra Canyon, 5-10, 175, Sr.: Trailblazers would be smart to hand him the ball again and again<\/p>\n
Kamden Tillis, Los Alamitos, 5-10, 180, Sr.: San Diego State commit coming off 1,500-yard junior season<\/p>\n
Noel Washington, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, 6-0, 185, Jr.: Much improved with speed and instincts<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Second in a series of stories profiling top high school football players by position. Today, AJ McBean, Gardena Serra running back. Hidden from any spotlight and comfortable conducting his training and workouts anonymously while motivated by his own dreams and aspirations, AJ McBean has embraced the mindset every top athlete understands: Progress comes when no…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[4149,4145,4147,4148,1921,1262,4146],"class_list":["post-2205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports","tag-competition","tag-gardena","tag-highs","tag-mcbean","tag-ready","tag-run","tag-serra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2205\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}