Monsignor Martin League Player Spotlight Series: Canisius
Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This piece will focus on…
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Western New York is an underrated basketball hotspot chockful of promising, talented recruits. The 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin League (Buffalo NY) was highly competitive and produced many memorable moments for both teams and individuals alike. This piece will focus on 3 individual members of the 2020-2021 Canisius Crusaders.
Hunter Glaser – C – Class of 2021
Hunter Glaser is one of the biggest, most physical forces that Canisius has to offer. A tight end and defensive end on the gridiron, Glaser is an imposing post presence that can change to tone of the game on both sides of the floor. In just 11 games in 2019-2020, Glaser posted 1.6 points per game, 1 rebound per game, 0.2 blocks per game, 0.1 assists per game, and 0.1 steals per game.
Glaser was a part of the best, deepest team in the 2019-2020 Monsignor Martin Conference. On account of this, he did not play all that much last year. When he did get in, he certainly made the most of his opportunities.
The best aspect of Glaser’s game is his willingness to mix it up in the three-second area. His size and speed alone is an asset that helps deflect opponents from entering the paint. In turn, that helps his teammates squeeze out the perimeter. Glaser’s interior presence forced his opponents into mistakes and tough shots last season.
For Canisius, they will most likely need Glaser to play a larger role in 2020-2021 than he did a season ago to help make up for the astonishing turnover on the roster. While he is not necessarily a shooting threat, the Crusaders should feel comfortable and confident in feeding Glaser the ball down low. More touches in the restricted would probably result in free throw attempts and kick-out opportunities to open teammates. On the defensive end, coach Husband could get creative; though a one-man-zone is a tall task, Glaser’s size opens up the opportunity for the team to run spurts of 1-3-1 zone and different pressing looks. In a season where the rest of the conference will be looking to unseat Canisius as the reigning kings of the conference, perhaps wrinkles such as these would help the Crusaders stay on top.
Joe Ciocca Joe Ciocca 5'10" | PG Canisius | 2021 State NY – G – Class of 2021
Joe Ciocca Joe Ciocca 5'10" | PG Canisius | 2021 State NY is coming off of a terrific 2019-2020 campaign that saw him reach averages of 12 points per game, 1.9 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, and 0.6 steals per game. Appearing in 25 contests, Ciocca was a key cog for a Crusaders team that won the Monsignor Martin Conference. Teams will have to gameplan for Ciocca in 2020-2021 to prevent him from exceeding last year’s outputs.
The strongest aspect of Ciocca’s game is his long-distance shooting. Simply put, his range needs to be respected and planned for. Astonishingly, there were only 4 games in which he shot under 33% from deep. Impressively, there were double-digit games in which he shot over 40%, including contests in which he managed to sink 5 of 8, 6 of 10, 6 of 11, and 6 of 12 three point attempts. An accurate volume shooter is one of the most deadly weapons a team can have in high school basketball in the state of New York today.
One area that Ciocca can improve upon is the rate he turns the ball over. Too often in 2019-2020, he was unfortunately consistent in this area; he registered at least one turnover in 21 out of 24 games last year. His worst outing came in a January 2020 victory over St. Mary’s, in which he coughed the ball up 5 times.
As a secondary ballhandler on the team, Ciocca should try and pick his spots more consistently for this Crusader iteration. Cleaning up his turnover rate would give his team another weapon to dispose to try and wear teams out on defense. If Ciocca can improve this aspect of his game, as well as continue his scorching shooting, he should play a ton of minutes this year and cement himself as a solid, consistent contributor for the second straight season.
Shane Cercone Shane Cercone 6'4" | SG Canisius | 2023 State NY – G – Class of 2023
On a team chock full of experience, Cercone’s strong and steady play as a freshman in 2019-2020 completely stood out. It was, and remains, clear that he belongs on the Varsity level; appearing in all 26 games a season ago, he manages 9 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, 1 assist per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 0.2 blocks per game. Cercone is a strong, fast guard who will be an issue to contain for years to come in the Monsignor Martin Conference.
Cercone possesses a unique ability to push the ball in transition. He often found himself with the ball in his hands, weaving and perusing his way into the lane for a shot attempt or to pass to an open teammate. Since he is so young, he can certainly still grow, though if he is done, 5’10” is a good enough size for this conference that he should not really ever be at too much of a size disadvantage relative to his peers.
One area that Cercone can improve upon is becoming a better free throw shooter. He finished 2019-2020 connecting on just 59% of his 78 attempts. As such an aggressive player should, he ought to be prepared to exceed that amount of attempts in 2020-2021. Now that the onus of offensive firepower will most likely flow more strongly though Cercone, more consistency from the foul line will benefit his team immensely.
Canisius lost a large percentage of its’ 2019-2020 production due to graduation. Now, Cercone has an opportunity to play “starter” minutes, regardless if he actually begins each game on the floor or not. He is an asset to his team because he is one of the best they have at pushing the pace and finding easy baskets for himself and others. Look for Shane Cercone Shane Cercone 6'4" | SG Canisius | 2023 State NY to continue to impress in the 2020-2021 Monsignor Martin League.
**All Stats Come From Maxpreps.com. All Analysis Is My Own.