Catalyst on the rise
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BIRMINGHAM | Kareem CantyClick [rl]Here to view this Link. never saw the value in doing things the easy way growing up in New York City.
He's a master of the cross-over dribble, the no-look pass, the spin-and-slide move down the lane. The Auburn junior already has all the flash he'll ever need, but learning to tone down his game, he said, was his top priority while sitting out as a transfer player last season.
"I grew up mentally," Canty said during the League of Stars event in Birmingham Saturday. "I came to Auburn as a boy and now I've turned into a man. I see things differently on the court. It's about patience and making the easier play."
Auburn recently signed perhaps its most talented class since Chuck Person, now an assistant coach, wore the green and white of Brantley High School. Still, Canty may represent the most important addition to the Tigers' 2015-16 roster.
The program was loaded with scorers last season with KT Harrell shooting 43 percent from long range to complement Cinmeon Bowers inside and Antoine Mason (when healthy) off the dribble. Auburn nonetheless remained largely ineffective on the scoring end because it lacked a reliable point guard.
KC Ross-Miller never warmed to the distribution role carved out for him by Person and head coach Bruce Pearl. Tahj Shamsid-Deen was re-imagined as a max-effort slasher last season and was deployed as a combo guard.
Now the Tigers will take the floor with Canty, who has been preparing for this opportunity since leaving Marshall University in May 2014.
"He's so important to everything we do," freshman point guard New Williams said. "He's a great leader, a great passer and a great scorer when he feels like scoring. He can do basically everything. Most of us follow his lead on the court and off the court. Kareem is great for us."
Sitting out last season as a transfer forced a prolonged period of introspection for Canty, who wasn't prepared for the mental anguish of not being able to play. He's been the star everywhere he's been.
"I had to embrace people telling me it's not my turn, it's not my year," Canty said. "I'm used to having all the attention. It was better for me to take a step back, get a look at the SEC and see what I can bring to the team."
Canty was more polished than expected in Birmingham. He scored nine of his team's first 14 points, then shifted into distribution mode. Canty accelerates easily on the break and has little trouble anticipating his teammates' movements. The ball always hits them in the hands.
That wasn't an easy task Saturday. Jordon Granger was Canty's only real-life teammate on the court.
Basketball is basketball, Canty figures.
And he thinks the Tigers will play a lot of good basketball this winter.
"We've got so many scorers and we're so athletic," Canty said. "We don't have to rely on one guy like we did last year. We preach togetherness as a team."
