Grace Cannon has had success wherever she’s been so far in her basketball career, including being a standout player at Bloomfield High School and at Ithaca College, while scoring more than 1,000 points at both stops.
Now, a new career in the sport is unfolding for the 26-year-old first-year coach at Glen Ridge, a program which enjoyed much success the previous three seasons - including a first-ever state sectional title and a berth in the overall Group 1 final last winter - but is also facing a challenging schedule with a third different head coach in as many seasons.
And, while there is still some nice talent in the Ridgers rotation, the team did bid adieu last June to its leading scorer and rebounder in 6-foot-1 center Riley O’Sullivan (MIT) along with a terrific all-around athlete with great court vision in playmaker Katie Powers, who is now embarking on a women’s lacrosse college career at Bucknell University.
Cannon, who spent as season as a volunteer coach on Zac Dearwater’s staff at Bloomfield, and coaches AAU ball with the N.J. Huskies, was hired after Kristina Danella exited the scene last summer after one very successful season guiding Glen Ridge to an Essex County Tournament Final 4, the North 2, Group 1 state sectional crown which was achieved with a 50-44 win over Group 1 standard bearer University, and the state final appearance vs. New Providence in a very competitive 42-36 victory for the Pioneers at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena.
Danella, who has had several different stints as both a high school and college coach, did not respond to a phone message from SC last summer about her departure from Glen Ridge; however, she did make a statement at the time on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) on July 17, 2025, concerning her decision to leave high school coaching and the Ridgers after such a successful rookie campaign at the helm, including being selected as SC’s Essex County Girls Basketball Coach of the Year.
“I have decided to step away from high school coaching,” she wrote. “I’ve reached a point in my career where I know my worth, and I only want to be in environments that align with my values, where coaches are supported, and athletes are empowered and motivated.”
Glen Ridge Athletic Director Rob Hill and the other powers-that-be at the strong academic Essex County school turned to a local product in Cannon, who was a splendid scholastic player for coach Dana Morton at nearby Bloomfield, and then carried that success to upstate New York and Division III stronghold Ithaca College where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in sports media and integrated marketing, and also an MBA in Business and Entertainment.
She is currently working for IHeart Media, which has a variety of on-air streaming venues in music, podcasts and talk radio.
The Ridgers have picked up early-season wins over Cannon’s alma mater Bloomfield (34-19, Dec. 13), the aforementioned University (52-37, Dec. 16) and Columbia (45-30, Dec. 20), while being handled quite decisively at Caldwell (56-30, Dec. 18) in a key Super Essex Conference-American Division early-season showdown.
Glen Ridge made the step up to the SEC’s top division last winter after easily winning the Liberty and Colonial Division titles the previous two seasons and while the going promises to be tough both in and out of the SEC-American, the even-keeled rookie head mentor is optimistic about where her first season at the helm of Ridgers girls hoops could be headed.
“The transition has been pretty smooth and we definitely have a very talented group of girls who know how to win, are familiar with each other, and are a determined group,” said Cannon. “Our athletic director and the school community have been very supportive in adjusting to a new coach and our expectations remain the same in terms of striving to get better each day while continuing to learn more together about this great sport of basketball.”
