READING, Pa. – Andrew Cannon’s first trip to a Hoop Group Elite Camp left him with plenty of motivation for his second time around.
“I found out there were two divisions in this camp,” said Cannon, an All-Staten Island first team selection by the Post. “East and West and one is better than the other.
In his first session in mid-July, the rising St. Peter’s senior guard played in the NBA West, considered the lower division of the camp’s upper classman. There he excelled and was named to the league’s All-New York team. He is back this week for Session III at Albright College with friend and fellow Staten Islander, Brian Bernardi, to prove he can play at a higher level and hopefully get seen by more college coaches.
“I was watching all of [Bernardi’s] games and I saw 50 coaches at one game,” the 6-foot-3 Cannon said. “At mine there were two or three coaches.”
In Thursday’s tryout games, which he said he played harder in, Cannon showed off some strength and a fundamentally sound game. He knocked down 3-pointers, attacked the rim and even used a pump fake to elude a defender for a closer elbow jumper. He worked on his stroke last summer with former Wagner College great Bob Mahala, who coaches the varsity team at St. John Vianney. In last year’s postseason for St. Peter’s he scored 22 points against St. Raymond and 16 versus Archbishop Molloy. He has gotten Division II and III looks and is working on his ball handling in preparation for the next level.
“I need more options,” Cannon said. “I’ve got to get a scholarship.”
Former Westinghouse guard headed to prep school: Marlon Cort is hoping for a second chance at his dream. The long 6-foot-5 George Westinghouse guard has his heart set on a Division I scholarship, but didn’t qualify to play at that level after graduating from the Brooklyn school. In order to make it happen, Cort plans on attending The Robinson School in New Jersey for a post-grad year to get things in order academically.
“I’m going to try to take full advantage of that so I can be eligible to play Division I basketball,” he said.
He showed off skills and athleticism worthy of Division I consideration Thursday. In one evaluation game, Cort, who has superb shooting form, connected on four 3-pointers in a span of five minutes. Later on, he showed the ability to get to the basket and finish as well as dish to open teammates. Cort said he is trying to get everything he can out of this week at Albright, whether it means picking up drills and tips in stations along with college interest.
“I’ve been working on my shot since I was small,” Cort said. “That’s the first attribute of my game that I felt comfortable with. I recently developed a handle.”
Dulin prepping in N.C.: Forest Hills grad Denzel Dulin drove the lane on a fast break and hit the trailer with a behind-the-back pass for an easy layup. On the next possession, he caught a pass in transition and threw down a thunderous tomahawk slam.
“Many people say my weakness is I don’t have a high motor,” Dulin said after the Hoop Group Elite Camp Session III tryout game. “I’m working on showing I’m more aggressive.”
So far, so good. Dulin, a 6-foot-4 forward, will be heading to Southern Tech Academy in Charlotte, N.C., next year with a Division I scholarship on his mind. His strong senior season for the Rangers – 14 points and 5.9 rebounds per game – was overshadowed by off-the-court issues at Forest Hills. Coach Ben Chophaphand was suspended for a year before the playoffs for alleged recruiting violations.
“I enjoyed my senior year,” Dulin said. “Coach C is a great head coach. Things happen. We had a good run in the playoffs.”