Ayton leaves Balboa City

DeAndre Ayton, considered the No. 1 high school basketball player in the nation for the class of 2017, has left Balboa City.

Located near downtown, Balboa City is not part of the CIF’s San Diego Section. It plays a national and international schedule.

Calls to Balboa City coach Zack Jones were not returned, but sources confirmed Ayton’s departure and said they doubted he would land at a high school in San Diego.

Ayton arrived in San Diego two years ago from the Bahamas.

The 6-foot-11 power forward averaged 21.1 points, 16.0 rebounds and 3.8 blocked shots last season for a team that finished 16-14. The five-star recruit shot 63.1 percent from the floor.

Ayton has college offers from Arizona, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland and San Diego State.

Balboa City recently landed Jaylen Hands, one of the top high school point guards in the country.

An all-county player at Mater Dei Catholic last season as a sophomore, Hands transferred to Foothills Christian after the school year.

His eligibility at Foothills was denied by the San Diego Section. Hands’ family chose not to appeal that decision to the CIF’s state office.

Hands, who will be a junior, has committed to UCLA.