How two former Jenkins athletes ended up playing professionally in Saskatchewan, Canada

Malik Benlevi first met Anthony Lanier II when Lanier was a standout senior athlete at Jenkins in 2011.

Benlevi went on to become a Warrior star himself, leading Jenkins to a state basketball title in his senior year of 2015.

Lanier, who was a football and basketball star at Jenkins, played college football (and two years of basketball) at Alabama A&M before stints in the NFL with Washington, the Chargers and the Chiefs.

Benlevi played basketball at Georgia State and helped lead the Panthers to a Sun Belt Conference title his senior season. His professional career includes stops in Mexico and the NBA G League until this season, when he crossed paths again with Lanier 2,355 miles from their hometown of Savannah as both are playing professionally in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Lanier, a 6-foot-6, 285-pound defensive lineman, has been a star with the Saskatchewan Roughriders since 2021, while Benlevi is a 6-foot-6 forward with the Saskatchewan Rattlers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.

On July 18, the Rattlers recognized the Savannah connection as they held a jersey swap before a game — with Benlevi receiving Lanier's No. 91 jersey, and Lanier getting Benlevi's No. 11.

"It's pretty cool that we're both from Jenkins and now we're playing in the same city in Canada," said Benlevi, 26, who was the Savannah Morning News Player of the Year in 2015. "This is my second year playing here, and Anthony has been to a couple of my games and I caught one of his so far. It was a special moment for both of us when we exchanged jerseys."

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Benlevi is averaging 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game this season for the Rattlers (8-11). Lanier, 30, has three tackles and a sack in four games for the Roughriders.

"I've always looked up to Anthony because of everything he does for the community in Savannah," Benlevi said. "He's a good example for everyone back home. I plan to put on camps in the future like he is doing now."

Lanier, who grew up in the Carver Heights neighborhood, is proud of his work with the organization he set up seven years ago — The Undefeated Warrior Anthony M. Lanier II Foundation, which supports community-based organizations in Savannah.

The 6th Annual Anthony M Lanier, II Summer Youth Football Training Camp is set for Saturday at Jenkins with the action getting started at 7:30 a.m. The camp is closed as spots filled up quickly with early registration, and Lanier won't be able to attend as he's in the middle of the season with the Roughriders. Lanier said former NFL standout Deonte Thompson will be on hand Saturday at the camp.

"Everything is going wonderful playing ball in Canada. I'm doing what I love to do and the foundation helps me give back to Savannah, where so many people helped me to get where I am today," Lanier said. "I had so many coaches and mentors, people like Greg Oliver (the late Jenkins basketball coach) who had a big impact on my development as a person and a player and now I'm trying to make a difference in the lives of kids in Savannah.

"It's crazy that Malik and I are both in Saskatchewan now. He's been like a little brother to me through this whole process. To see how he's grown into a professional athlete after coming up in Savannah like I did make me proud."

Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Former Jenkins stars Lanier and Benlevi now pros in Saskatchewan, Canada