Monsignor Martin League Season Preview: Canisius Crusaders

<p><b><i>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 article will preview the 2020-2021 Canisius Crusaders.</i></b></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>2019-2020 Canisius Crusaders - 23-3 Overall Record, 11-1 Conference Record</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 2019-2020 Canisius Crusaders dominated the Monsignor Martin League to the tune of an 11-1 conference record. Coached by Kyle Husband, the Crusaders won the Manhattan Cup Championship with a 63-54 victory over the St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute Mauraders. Among 2020-2021 returnees, class of 2021 Max Dowling lead the team in both scoring and rebounding in the contest. Dowling posted 16 points and 5 rebounds while splitting his time defending both Wings and Bigs.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Canisius was a well-oiled offensive machine in 2019-2020 and was clearly ready to dominate as soon as the season began. In just their third game on December 18, 2019, The Crusaders scored 100 points in a blowout victory against Lewiston-Porter. They followed that effort with similarly high scoring games, posting 93 points the next game against Bishop Kearney, 96 on January 7, 2020, against Cardinal O’Hara, and 90 on January 20, 2020, against Bishop Timon-St. Jude. Their lone conference loss came on February 08, 2020, in the rematch against Bishop Timon-St. Jude, being narrowly defeated 69-65. Perhaps fueled by the loss, Canisius reeled off five consecutive victories en route to the aforementioned Manhattan Cup title.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though Canisius boasted quality depth in 2019-2020, their biggest concern for the upcoming 2020-2021 season is going to be replacing all that that they lost due to graduation. All three team captains from last season are gone, meaning the Crusaders will need others to step up and produce more than they did a season ago. The three most likely to fill the voids are Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="1045727" first="Shane" last="Cercone"] and Seniors Max Dowling and [player_tooltip player_id="1047777" first="Joe" last="Ciocca"]. Between the three of them, they averaged 32 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game a season ago. With a deep roster full of talent, Coach Husband and the Crusaders will be prohibitive favorites to repeat as Monsignor Martin League Champions in 2020-2021.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>*<em>All stats come from MaxPreps.com. All analysis is my own.</em></p>