By Ed Piper
Max Raulston, a 6'2" jumping jack for La Jolla's basketball team as a freshman last year, chose to focus on his hoop skills and not go out for football his sophomore year.
"I'm working on my shooting to play guard, point guard," said the blue-eyed athlete, when greeted at the LJHS-Lincoln football game October 18.
Asked about workouts, he said, "I'm working out with the high school team. I have my own workout, too."
At his height, he was faced with battling frontcourt players much taller than himself last year, like 6'7" Ronnie Latting of Mission Bay, which was a Western League and CIF front-runner last year with Boogie Ellis at guard.
So, someone gave Raulston good counsel in having him work on his guard skills. That is where his future would lie.
Undoubtedly, for Coach Paul Baranowski's team this winter, the leaper will still mix it up plenty inside. But the freedom the outside position will afford him as far as height match-ups should make quite a difference.
Someone said, "We just have to make sure Diego (Solis) doesn't get injured in football," like he did last year (with a triple fracture in his right collarbone), and his older brother Gabe was injured in football both his junior and senior years, dealing a setback to his winter basketball seasons both year.
"That's right. That's what I'm doing here," joked Raulston, gesturing toward the football field, where La Jolla later fell to Lincoln, 32-7. He, Diego Solis, and Christian Gamboa make up La Jolla's big three of returners and core players for the 2019-20 basketball season.
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