Monsignor Martin League Player Spotlight Series: Shane Cercone
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 series will focus on the…
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Continue ReadingWestern 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 series will focus on the individual members of the 2020-2021 Canisius Crusaders.
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.