Jamal Cannady Jr. spent the late 2010s making his name known in the Baltimore high school basketball scene.

On Tuesday night, he returned to the city with Livingstone basketball to play the CIAA tournament at CFG Bank Arena. It’s his first year in the CIAA after spending three seasons with two other colleges, but for growing up and playing in Baltimore, playing in the conference was always on his radar.

“Why not end my career in the CIAA?” Cannady said of his final transfer decision. “It was my dream as a kid, and I told myself if I don’t go Division I, I would play the CIAA, and knowing that the conference tournament is back in my hometown, why wouldn’t I want to finish it off like that?”

His opportunity in Baltimore came against Bowie State, featuring a core of Baltimore and Maryland natives, many of whom Cannady played with or against growing up.

“Other than a pro-am league, I haven’t played at home since high school,” Cannady said. “Really excited to play in front of my family, my friends, compete against some guys I know. Happy to be home, it’s been a while. Excited for it.”

Unfortunately for Cannady and the Blue Bears, their conference tournament lasted just the one game, despite a spirited second-half rally that saw Livingstone overcome an 18-point deficit before faltering in the final five minutes, dropping in a heartbreaking 68-64 decision.

After trailing 39-21 in the first half, Livingstone brought it all the way back, with a pair of Cannady free throws pushing the Blue Bears ahead, 51-50, with 5:58 to play. But Bowie State turned up the defensive pressure to break off a 14-4 run over the next four and a half minutes.

Cannady refused to quit down the stretch. In the final 80 seconds alone, the guard gutted out seven points, a steal and an assist, bringing Livingstone back from nine down to within two points. He led the Blue Bears with 20 points, two assists and four steals.

While Cannady won’t get a chance to further his legacy in this CIAA tournament, he ends an impressive collegiate career that followed his stellar high school years in Baltimore. Cannady attended Dunbar for three years. He averaged 13.5 points, six assists, and four rebounds during Dunbar’s 2018 state championship run in his sophomore season.

After averaging 14.3 points as a junior, Cannady transferred to New Era Academy, where he set a school record for the most points in the season, driving the South Baltimore school to the most wins in program history. He averaged more than 17 points per game.

Cannady’s college career took him all over the map. With one Division I offer out of high school, and a handful of Division II offers where he didn’t feel he would see the court early, Cannady opted for Division III Bryn Athyn College in the Pennsylvania. Cannady got his wish to play right away and skyrocketed up the school’s all-time scoring list, rising to third in career points in just two seasons. That prolific output gave Cannady an opportunity to pursue a higher level of college basketball.

He entered the portal his junior year and said he drew interest from a lot of Division I and Division II schools before settling on Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville.

“Being from inner-city Baltimore … to go see a whole different side of the world, it was a really cool experience,” he said.

Despite a strong season in Nashville, Cannady noted that things didn’t go quite as planned, and he wanted to be closer to home, leading him to Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina for his final collegiate season.

Cannady led the team with 16.1 points per game and total assists (54), and was fourth in total rebounds (84). On Tuesday night, he left it all out on the court in his hometown, playing just under 35 minutes, drawing eight fouls, and leading the team in points, assists and steals.

“It was pretty emotional coming back home to play. It’s a surreal feeling to come back home, to look up and see your whole family there watching you. That felt good,” Cannady said. “It just sucks. It’s my last go-around and it ended one game in, so of course it didn’t end the way I wanted. But I’m grateful to even be in a position to be here, thankful for everything I’ve gotten this year.”