The St. Patrick/St. Vincent Bruins started this past season slowly at 3-5 before rallying to finish the season 21-12 overall and 8-4 in the Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL). A big reason for the turnaround was the play of 2014 forward Jalen Canty who averaged 13.6 points and 12.6 rebounds per game as he provided a legitimate post presence for the Bruins. The Bruins season ended in the Northern California CIF playoffs with an 80-78 loss to Sacred Heart Prep.
At 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, Canty is quite agile and quick for someone of his size. At the high school level, Canty can easily overpower smaller players and is quite effective in the paint as a rebounder and post defender. However, Canty envisions himself playing some of the wing position at college, which is why he has been working on his guard skills.
"Jalen is a great rebounder with a nose for the ball," says St Patrick St Vincent Coach Derek Walker. "He has good timing and instincts to attack the ball. Jalen was a huge addition to the program. He helps control the paint with his rebounding and his shot blocking. Jalen's game has grown a lot from the start of the season. Early, he would rush shots and depend on his size to get put backs. Toward the end of the season he has some post moves that he's beginning to trust and his overall feel for the game has improved alot."
During the upcoming summer season, Canty will be playing for his Oakland Soldiers 16U club. The exposure on the summer circuit will jump start this sophomore's recruiting. In the recent Soldiers Extravaganza and the Rebels Tourney in successive weeks in Hayward, Canty displayed good stamina in running the court, was aggressive in attacking the basket, and was effective on both ends in rebounding.
Coach Joe Griggs who coached Canty last summer for the Soldiers 15U club says, "Jalen reminds me of Kendrick Perkins. He is just a raw physical presence inside. Very active around the rim and is extremely hard to defend when he gets the ball in the paint. Once he develops a few post moves, he will be almost unstoppable."
Off the basketball court, Canty is a serious student as he maintains a solid 3.00 GPA and would like to attend college for four years to obtain his degree. Coach Walker says, "Jalen is a quiet kid who likes to have fun. If he keeps working on his fundamentals and hits the weight room hard, he could be a DI player. High/mid/low level depends on how hard he works on his skill set to improve his game."
Canty had some monster games in the past season that included a 34 point and 21 rebound game against Natomas in addition to having three other 20 plus rebounding games. The Bruins coaching staff has Bruin alumni Bakari Hendrix who was a 6-foot-8 power forward who played at Gonzaga and played professionally for ten years overseas. Hendrix's experience and coaching has helped Canty develop his post game as well.
The early favorites in the BSAL will likely be Salesian and St Joseph. But do not be surprise if St Patrick St Vincent "can too" compete in the league with this Bruin. Watch for the No. 6 ranked 2014 prospect according to NorCalPreps.com to give a bruising in Vallejo the next two seasons.
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