From His Nickname To His Game, Indiana’s Kanaan Carlyle Embodies Dogged Determination

Indiana wants the Stanford transfer to be aggressive, and Kanaan Carlyle is ready to deliver.

Indiana Hoosiers guard Kanaan Carlyle (9) defends against SIU Edwardsville Cougars guard Ray'Sean Taylor (3) during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – You may not have noticed, but college basketball changed its rules for uniform numbers before the 2023-24 season.

From the 1950s until 2023, college basketball players could only wear numbers starting or ending from 0-5. The reason? It made it easier for officials to signal foul calls to the scorer’s table without causing confusion.

The rule change was a welcome one for new Indiana Hoosier Kanaan Carlyle. When Carlyle transferred to Indiana from Stanford, he took advantage of the new rule and chose the number 9.

“I got a nickname. My nickname is Canine. My dad gave it to me when I was younger about the way I play,” Carlyle said during a press conference on Wednesday.

“I'm a dog on the court, 94 feet, play hard all 40 minutes,” Carlyle said. “When I came to Indiana and I found out that the rule changed, and I found out I was able to change my number to nine. I was like, ‘Perfect I can use that.’”

That dogged nature is why Indiana wanted Carlyle to bolster its backcourt during the offseason. So far, he’s started every game and he’s shown a little different wrinkle in each of them.

In Indiana’s opening 80-61 victory against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Carlyle didn’t hit a shot, but he had six rebounds and three assists. The so-called “good floor game.”

Against Eastern Illinois, Carlyle was much like the entire Indiana team. He was scoreless in the first half with two misses and just one assist in addition.

The Hoosiers trailed the Panthers 37-36 at halftime, but like the Hoosiers did in general, Carlyle came alive in the second half. He scored all six of his points after the break and helped the Hoosiers surge past Eastern Illinois for a 90-55 victory.

Finally, in Indiana’s 87-71 win against South Carolina, Carlyle showed his scoring capability with 12 points. Three of them were scored on a fluke lob pass that line-drived into the cylinder, but no matter, Carlyle demonstrated that he could contribute when called upon to score.

Indiana's Kanaan Carlyle (9) celebrates during the Indiana versus South Carolina men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024. / Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s not surprising that Carlyle has done something a little different in each game. This is a team still feeling each other out and the players are still feeling out their roles. For all of the talent Indiana has, it takes time for it to gel.

“I think every single day we get more comfortable,” Carlyle said. “We all take it day by day learning from (Indiana coach Mike) Woodson, learning from the coaching staff, learning from the vets like Gallo (Trey Galloway) and (Anthony) Leal. We just take it day-by-day to keep trying to build our rhythm together. And I think we really could be so special.,” Carlyle said.

Carlyle has a demonstrative style that’s both in his nature and by design. What some might interpret as Carlyle pressing to make a play, he calls being aggressive. It’s what he’s been asked to do.

“My coaches and my team has instilled it in me to be aggressive. They said for us to be successful, that I need to be aggressive, look to score and to make plays for my teammates. And so that's what I'm going out to do every single night,” Carlyle said.

As expected, Carlyle and Myles Rice – who transferred from Washington State – have started in Indiana’s backcourt. They both came to Indiana from the remnants of the Pac-12 Conference, but they have ties that go back deeper than that.

“Me and Myles always been cool coming from Atlanta. He went to Sandy Creek. I went to Milton. We played each other a few times growing up. Knowing I had the chance to play with Myles was a great treat for me,” Carlyle said.

Their relationship has grown on the court and off it since they teamed up with the Hoosiers.

“Since being here, he’s been a great brother to me. He teaches me a lot. We would go through everything together. We talk about things a lot, but at the end of the day, he’s been there for me and I’ve been there for him. I feel like that’s why we’ve been so close and played well so far,” Carlyle said.

It’s a bond that Indiana hopes will grow and that the Hoosiers’ fortunes grow with it.

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