BYU commit Brinley Cannon has Shelley girls basketball back in postseason for first time in seven years

Russets have gone from 4-win team to tops seeds in Class 4A tournament in span of two years, led by the 6-foot junior

Brinley Cannon has an indoor basketball court at her house.

It’s pretty close to a full-size one, too, with three baskets to shoot on. The 6-foot junior guard has been spending a lot of time there lately in preparation for her first-ever state tournament with the Shelley Russets.

It’s a moment the Russets have been waiting seven years for. But for the BYU commit, it’s been a lifetime.

Cannon will make her long-awaited debut when No. 1 Shelley (20-3) plays No. 8 Twin Falls (12-12) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Timberline High School in the opening round of the Class 4A state tournament.

"It’s something I’ve always dreamt of since forever," Cannon said. "But it’s important just to stay in the moment and just enjoy this journey."

A "journey" far from easy for a player long considered one of the state's best players who had to endure a complete rebuilding project. But she was up for it.

Basketball's in her blood, after all.

Dad, Seth, played at Idaho.

Mom, Jennifer, suited up for Idaho State.

Older brother, McKay, was an all-state player who led the Shelley boys basketball team to the state title game in 2013. He then went on to play at both Weber State and BYU.

And her twin brother, Austin, is currently on the boys basketball team.

"Family games do not end well," Cannon said. "Let’s just say that some games have ended in tears."

That competitiveness has carried her far.

She played for the Natalie Williams Basketball Academy U-17 team for now BYU women's coach Amber Whiting - and was a teammate of Amari Whiting, the former Burley standout who is the No. 33 prospect in ESPN’s 2023 Top 100 recruiting rankings. Williams is a hall of famer and the general manager of the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

Cannon played at high-level tournaments in places much larger than her indoor court, including Nevada, Alabama and Texas. She quickly picked up NCAA Division I offers from Utah Tech, Fresno State, Utah Valley and Colorado State as a result.

"I feel like I’ve always been talented, but playing against all those great players, I realized there were a lot of things in my game that I needed to improve on," Cannon said. "It was very motivating to know I have the opportunities and the resources to get better."

But her high school team was a different thing entirely.

The year before her arrival, the previous coach quit in the middle of the season - and Shelley’s only win came narrowly against the Thunder Ridge junior varsity team.

Current coach Jessica Carlson was thrust into the position just a few weeks after coaching Cannon’s eighth-grade team - with 2- and 4-year-old children of her own at the time.

"I was a very, very green coach," Carlson said. "I played the game, but it is so different to coach the game. It was a very steep learning curve for me."

Even with Cannon on the team as a ninth grader the following year, it wasn't much better.

Despite her being an all-High Country Conference first-team selection, the Russets lost by nearly 20 points per game on their way to a 4-18 campaign in 2020-21.

Cannon then had to play all five positions last season. She averaged 18.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.7 blocks and earned first-team all-state honors that year. But it was still only good enough to be one win above .500 at 12-11 and miss the state playoffs for the sixth season in a row.

Frustrating as it was, Cannon never wavered in her commitment to the program.

"I don’t think there was even a question about that process," Carlson said. "I think it says something about her loyalty, not only to a school, but also to the teammates that she’s grown through and grown with to create something that wasn’t there before. Sometimes it’s easier to just go find the thing you want, but she’s been a creator."

Cannon’s certainly created a lot of buzz and excitement in the eastern Idaho town of a little more than 5,000 this season. Shelley won its first seven games - six of which by double digits - including a victory over eight-time state champion Sugar-Salem. The 69-50 victory in mid-November was the Russets’ first win against the Diggers in eight years.

And with each passing win over the likes of state qualifiers Blackfoot and Minico, Shelley spent most of the year ranked No. 1 in the state media poll. It also finished with the classification’s top-ranked offense at 63 points per game - about a 13-point per game improvement from a year ago.

"Everyone has bought in so much and invested so many hours in the offseason just to help that happen," Cannon said. "It’s not magic. The program has been built up really well and now it’s just a bigger deal because people didn’t really care before. So, it’s just great to see all the improvement."

That was really shown in a loss of all things. With the season on the brink following a 58-55 loss to Blackfoot in the district championship a week ago, Shelley responded in a way it wouldn’t have in years’ past. In a win-or -go home state play-in game Feb. 11, the Russets beat Hillcrest for a third consecutive time. The 69-39 rout not only ended the playoff drought, but qualified them for their first-ever Class 4A state tournament.

It’s only the fourth winning season over the past 15 years, and the 20 wins are the most since 2008- the last of the school’s six state titles.

"It’s been hard. I definitely felt a lot of pressure," Cannon said. "But I think if I would have come in here and they were already on their way to winning a state championship, then I wouldn’t have learned as much and grown as much as a player and as an individual than I did. So, I’m actually really grateful that it has worked out as it has."

While Cannon could very well be the Class 4A state player of the year with 20.7 ppg, 12.0 rpg and 3.8 apg, her teammates have been just as instrumental in the newfound success. 

Sophomore guard Mia Williams has proven to be a formidable running mate with Cannon. And Kaylee Packer might be the team’s best defender. Both have played their part and are locked in on the same vision. 

It’s what Cannon has played out in her mind and on her personal court over and over again - one of a championship.

"She carries a lot of weight on her shoulders for wanting to win and wanting to be successful," Carlson said. "But she also wants to do it in the right way. And in a really team-oriented way. She really cares about her teammates, the program and this community."

(Featured photo courtesy of Jenn Swanson Photography)