McALLEN — The grade next to power forward Danny Canul’s name on the McAllen High roster may say freshman, but his play on the court was that of a savvy veteran during his first year of varsity ball with the Bulldogs.
Canul went from playing eighth grade basketball at Morris Middle School last year to starting as a freshman on a McHi team (23-8, 12-2) that won the District 31-5A championship and reached Round 5 of the Class 5A playoffs this season.
After splashing onto the Rio Grande Valley high school hoops scene as a freshman with the Bulldogs, Canul is The Monitor’s 2020-21 All-Area Boys Basketball Newcomer of the Year.
“I’m thankful for everything. It couldn’t have gone any better than how it did,” Canul said. “I’m thankful for my teammates, thankful for my coaches, and all that hard work paid off.”
Canul had no problem playing against older competition during his first year of varsity basketball. It helped that he’s done it all his life with his older brother, McHi junior guard Robert Canul. The two started alongside each other for the Bulldogs this year finishing as the team’s top two scorers.
“My brother, he’s two years older than me and he’s always pushed me and expected me to be the best that I can be. He’s helped me out and without him I wouldn’t be here,” Canul said. “We just practice, he always has me playing up, so coming into the varsity level, I’m used to playing against older guys and that’s why I was ready, just working hard and it paid off.”
McAllen High head coach Ryan Flores showed confidence in Canul by inserting him into the starting lineup on day one. His play was so consistent, he never let the spot go.
Flores wasn’t surprised, however. He knew McHi’s only freshman on the roster would contribute after seeing him play in middle school.
“Right away when I saw him, I noticed he had the ‘it’ factor. He had something that no other kid had, and to me, it was basketball intelligence,” Flores said. “Basketball IQ is very hard to coach. It’s very hard to teach. When he came in as a freshman, he was the only freshman I brought in. It wasn’t because his brother was on the team. It was because I knew he had that X-factor that if he brought it, he was going to stay on varsity.”
Canul averaged 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 assist this season and proved to be a dangerous deep threat as he tied for the team lead by shooting 39%. He also showed the ability to play down low, and was a steady force in the Bulldogs’ dynamic defense.
One of Canul’s biggest moments happened during McHi’s regular season finale against rival McAllen Memorial. The Bulldogs needed a win to capture a share of the District 31-5A championship, and they found themselves in overtime tied at 58 with seconds remaining on the clock.
Flores designed a play for Canul to set up for a shot near the top of the key. He received the pass from Quinllion Canada Jr., rose up for two and drained the shot to give McHi a 60-58 victory and a share of the district title on a buzzer beater in overtime.
“I had to prove that I had it in me from just working hard and I was able to gain their trust,” Canul said.
During the Bulldogs playoff run to the Elite 8, Canul held his own against teams from Corpus Christi King, Flour Bluff, Georgetown and Leander Glenn.
Canul’s future is bright with the Bulldogs as they’ll return a solid core for the 2021-22 season with hopes to build off a playoff run to the elite eight.
“Now, we’re going to have a chip on our shoulder; everyone’s going to be coming at us. We’re just going to keep doing our thing and keep playing basketball,” he said.
Flores is eager to see what the future holds for Canul.
“From the first day of practice, through district, he could do it all. Are expectations higher for next year? Absolutely, and I’ve talked to him about that, but he’s already working hard,” Flores said. “He’s one of those kids I’m glad he’s wearing purple and gold and I’m glad I have him for another three years because it’s going to be fun coaching that man and seeing what he can accomplish.”
