Cannady poised to step into spotlight for Princeton

PRINCETON » Devin Cannady still thinks about the shot.

From the moment it rolled off his fingers, to the clang on the rim, and finally, the disappointment of being so close to an NCAA Tournament victory.

“I specifically remember the shot, and that’s just been fuel to the fire in the offseason,” Princeton’s junior guard said. “Coming into this year, knowing where we’ve been and we were one shot away, one play away, so the goal is to get back there to win games in the tournament. That’s definitely just been motivation in the offseason.”

Cannady and the Tigers are coming off a 23-7 season in which they went a perfect 14-0 in the Ivy League and won the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth by capturing the inaugural Ivy League Tournament.

But Princeton also has to replace the contributions of three starters, including Ivy Player of the Year Spencer Weisz and leading scorer Steven Cook.

Cannady knows that means taking his game to another level.

“I’m an upperclassman now,” he said. “We had senior leadership that went out the door, and so for me, as a guard, I know I can down shots and that’s my bread and butter.”

The Mishawaka, Indiana native finished second on the team in scoring as sophomore, averaging 13.4 points on 41.6 percent shooting.

His 93.8 percent free throw shooting ranked second nationally, while his 40.9 percent connect rate on 3s was 34th in the country.

Cannady is also a team leader now, something he’s embracing with classmate Myles Stephens and senior Amir Bell.

“We’re stepping in a role, that, as juniors, where we see that our actions on the court, how we play, we give max effort every practice, and I think that in itself is leadership,” Cannady said. “We came in here as freshmen not knowing anything. The Princeton Offense ... all I’d done is pick-androlls and shoot 3s. We both took on different roles and expanded those roles, and now we’re leaders.”

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