Prospect Spotlight: Jacey Canalin (2024 Wells)
There’s a lot of backcourt talent in the Class of 2024 and it would be wise to not overlook Jacey Canalin Jacey Canalin 5'7" | PG Wells | 2024 State OR . The shifty 5-foot-6 point guard may often be…
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Continue ReadingThere’s a lot of backcourt talent in the Class of 2024 and it would be wise to not overlook Jacey Canalin Jacey Canalin 5'7" | PG Wells | 2024 State OR . The shifty 5-foot-6 point guard may often be on the smaller in stature on the court but don’t let that fool you. Canalin has the confidence and killer instinct of a warrior and it’s those qualities that helped him earn a major role at Wells – all in his first year in high school.
“To be honest, it was kind of nerve-racking now that I think about it because freshman year, nobody expects to play on varsity,” Canalin said. “But Coach (Cokley) gave me the chance to go out there and play my game and I did it. It was fun because I didn’t think I could do that, play varsity as a freshman. It was cool to be one of the youngest kids out there playing basketball.”
Canalin didn’t just make varsity – he got plenty of playing time. On the year he averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 assists and showed a ton of moxie on the floor. He played with the confidence of a senior at times; just ask Westview. In the Green Bracket of culmination week, it was Canalin that took the ball and scored the game-winner in one of Wells’ greatest highlights of the year.
Over the summer, Canalin ran with his father’s AAU program, DENY Basketball, in a number of tournaments both in and out of state as he focused on improving his game.
“I’m a small, undersized guard so I worked on playing slow and knowing my game and who I’m playing against,” Canalin said. “So I focused on that, changing directions, and my speed as well. The tournaments were fun, just getting out there and playing against older competition. It was definitely good for us.”
It’s obviously very early for Canalin due to his age and level of physical development, but there’s no question Canalin has thought about playing at the college level. “The main goal for me is to keep playing after high school,” Canalin said. “I’d love to play D-I but you’ve got to have a backup goal, so like maybe D-II, do some research on schools. I just want to play after high school.”
For now the focus is on the upcoming year. Wells returns much of their core from last year’s team and Canalin is ready to keep on stepping up his game. “I’m definitely excited,” Canalin said. “Playing varsity as a freshman really helped me, so I have the confidence now to play all the minutes to out there with my teammates and run it back again.”
Canalin currently ranks as the #15 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2024 rankings.