Indiana Basketball Newcomer Focus: Sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle

The Indiana basketball program is going to look a whole lot different with many new faces coming in this season, with all 13 scholarships filled for the upcoming year.

In total, Indiana basketball will bring in 7 new faces, replacing 6 departures from a season ago. Mike Woodson and his staff did a phenomenal job in the transfer portal addressing the needs of guards, shooting, and front court depth.

We have already looked at all of the returning players from a season ago in our “Indiana Basketball Returner Focus” series now, it is time for our “Indiana Basketball Newcomer Focus” series to continue our trend of looking at each player of the 2024-25 roster and preview what they bring for the Hoosiers.

Today, we look Stanford transfer sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle and look at where he comes from, and what his role will be for Indiana basketball this season.

Other players in the series: Oumar Ballo, Langdon Hatton, Dallas James, Luke Goode, Myles Rice

Where He Comes From

Carlyle is a 6-foot-4 guard out Atlanta, Georgia and is a former To-60 prospect 2023 class. He was rated at the No. 52 overall player according to the 247Sport Composite Ratings.

He attended his first three years of his high school career at Milton (GA) before joining Overtime Elite for his senior season. He averaged 9.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for the YNG Dreamers in OTE and led them to the OTE Championship game. He also led Milton to the Georgia State Championship game in 2021 as well as winning a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas championship with USA Basketball in Tijuana, Mexico.

During his high school recruitment, he was actually on the radar of Indiana basketball assistant coach Yasir Rosemond due to his strong ties to the Atlanta areas. He would eventually chose Stanford over schools such as Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Kansas, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and many others.

Carlyle would only just one season at Stanford before deciding to enter the transfer portal. During his freshman season at Stanford, he averaged 11.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 23 appearances. After the season, he was named to the All-Pac-12 Freshman honorable mention team. He scored in double-figures 15 times, including two 20-point games and one 31-point outing (a career high) against Indiana basketball transfer commit Myles Rice and Washington State.

The 6-foot-4 guard shot a field goal percentage of 38.6% including 32.0% from three. After shooting 44.7 percent on 2.1 made 3s per game in the first 10 games he played, his shot fell off. He shot just 20.8 percent from three on 4.1 attempts for the final 13 games of the season.

With three years of eligibility remaining, Carlyle decided to enter the transfer portal and find a new home. When he officially entered, there was an strong chance that Indiana basketball would be reaching out to him, which they ultimately did.

With Indiana’s tries to Atlanta, a relationship already built, and a need for a dynamic guard, Carlyle to the Hoosiers made a lot of sense early on.

Related: Indiana Basketball Player Scouting Report: Kanaan Carlyle

Role for 2024-25 Season

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

After taking an official visit to Bloomington early in the offseason, Carlyle would officially commit to Indiana basketball. He would join Myles Rice as the second guard to commit to the Hoosiers out of the transfer portal this offseason.

Mike Woodson and Indiana basketball had a clear mission to improve in the backcourt this offseason. By adding both Rice and Carlyle, Indiana did just that.

The exact role that Carlyle will play next season is not entirely set in stone just yet but there should be no question that he is going to be a main contributor. As of right now, there is one spot on the Indiana start unit that is just a little uncertain, and it involves the Stanford transfer. With Myles Rice, Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau, and Oumar Ballo securing their starting spots, it leads you to wonder just who is going to fill that second backcourt spot. The two players it comes down to is either Carlyle or senior guard Trey Galloway.

For this, we can look at both scenarios with Carlyle. If he were to start, he and Rice will make for one of the more dynamic starting backcourts you will see which likely means that the Indiana basketball staff wants to see Galloway be the six-man of the team. A lot of what Indiana basketball is getting with Myles Rice, they are also getting with Kanaan Carlyle, except with just a slight twist. They both play a similar-ish style for the most part which in-turn, gives the Hoosiers multiple ball handlers in the backcourt along with the likes of Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps, as well. One of the main difference when it comes to Carlyle and Rice is that the former Stanford guard is actually a more reliable catch-and-shoot guard. When looking at both of these guys on the court together next season, Rice is likely to have the ball in his hands most of the time which will allow Carlyle to work more freely off the ball. He will be able to use his speed and work off the cuts to get a free look going.

“I tried to build our team around how I played a little bit in New York,” Woodson said earlier this summer. “We had guys like Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton, (Pablo) Prigioni. Guys that can create, make plays not only for themselves, but for their teammates. That was one of the things when we (the staff) sat down after the season in terms of evaluating players that entered the portal — that was going to be an emphasis on players that we brought back here from a perimeter standpoint.

“And these two guys (Rice and Carlyle) are capable of making plays off the bounce. They’re capable of making plays for their teammates. And, they’re capable of putting the ball in the hole.”

If Mike Woodson prefers to start his trusty senior guard Trey Galloway in the backcourt alongside Rice, Carlyle will play that “spark” role off the bench. Regardless of what role Carlyle fills next season, his versatility as a true combo guard is a major advantage to what Indiana basketball run next season. No matter what guard he is paired with, it will most certainly work given his versatile skillset.

To also add to his offensive game, he is just extremely crafty and plays with a tough motor to add to all the things he can do on the floor.

“Kanaan is gifted too,” Illinois transfer wing Luke Goode said this past summer. “He’s super quick, he’s probably the second fastest player I’ve played with other than Terrence [Shannon Jr.] in terms of having the ball in the open floor.”

Defensively will be the interesting area for him in the 2024-25 season for Indiana basketball. While his defensive numbers do not really jump out to anyone, he is a capable defender for the most part. If he can cause disruptions guarding on the ball or just even jumping the passing lanes, it will make Indiana a better transition offense team and play more the fast style Mike Woodson want’s his ball club to play.

Indiana basketball is going to arguably have the most dynamic backcourt in the entire Big Ten next season. Carlyle is a big reason as to why that is. With his versatility at the guard position, he could be one of the tougher players to predict for opposing teams as the season progresses this upcoming year.

Carlyle could go down as the most underrated addition to the 2024-25 Hoosiers before it is all said and done.

Notable Quotes

“Kanaan is a dynamic player with the ball in his hands with the length and skillset to create scoring chances for himself and others. His ability off the bounce pairs nicely with his shooting stroke. His length, quickness, and mentality give him the capability to be a high-impact defender for our ballclub. We are really excited to welcome him and his family to IU.”

SEE ALSO: One question facing all 12 Indiana basketball players entering the summer

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