By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mystery is over. The answer to why Indiana sophomore guard Kanaan Carlyle wears No. 9 — a number so rare in Cream ‘n Crimson basketball history that it’s only been worn 10 times overall, the last by Bob Masters in 1952 — starts with Carlyle’s nickname.
K-9.
“My dad gave it to me when I was growing up because of the way I play,” he says. “I’m a dog on the court. I play hard all 40 minutes.”
An NCAA rule change that allows players to wear numbers from 0 through 99 gave Carlyle the opportunity to choose the unique number after transferring from Stanford last spring.
“It worked perfectly that I could use that number,” he says.
That leads to an obvious question — who’s Bob Masters? He was the 1948 Indiana Mr. Basketball after leading Lafayette Jefferson High School to the state championship, then lettered for three IU teams that went a combined 52-14 from 1950-52. He was inducted into the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.
As far as Carlyle, defensive intensity has always been his strength. He’s showcased it early on for the No. 16/18 Hoosiers (3-0) and likely will again Thursday night when they host UNC Greensboro (2-1) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
“It’s a big part of my game,” he says. “It’s been a big emphasis for me and my family since a young age. My dad was my trainer while I was growing up. It was a big emphasis to be a two-way player and play both ends of the court.”
Carlyle kept that emphasis at Stanford, and now with the Hoosiers.
“We have a lot of scorers, a lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket,” he says. “I wanted to be the guy who they could depend on every night to defend and pick up 94 feet.”
Carlyle has three steals and two blocks while starting every game. He has six assists against two turnovers. He averages 6.0 points on 35.0% shooting.
Last season at Stanford, he averaged 11.5 points on 38.6% shooting. He says he’s confident his offense will pick up.
“My coaches and my teammates have instilled in me to be aggressive. I need to be aggressive to score and to make plays for my teammates. That’s what I try to do every night.
“It’s whatever I can do to help us win, whatever the coaches need me to do, whatever my teammates need me to do, that’s what I will do.
“At the beginning of the season, they asked me to be aggressive. That’s what I’m going to do. Shots will go down eventually. I’m going to keep playing my game.”
During last Saturday’s 87-71 win over South Carolina, Carlyle threw what appeared to be an alley-oop pass to teammate Mackenzie Mgbako for a dunk. The problem — the ball went in for a long 3-pointer.
“I could say it was a shot,” he says with a smile, “but it was a pass. Thankfully, it went in, or it would have been a turnover.”
Carlyle and fellow newcomers Myles Rice, Oumar Ballo, Luke Goode, and Bryson Tucker are still adjusting to coach Mike Woodson‘s style.
“Every day we get more comfortable,” he says. “It’s a new team with me, Ballo, and Myles coming in as transfers. A new situation and a new coach. We take it day by day.
“We’re learning from Coach Woodson, learning from the coaching staff, learning from the veterans like (Trey Galloway) and (Anthony Leal). We’re trying to build our rhythm together. When we do, I think we can be something special.”
The Hoosiers’ next chance comes against a Greensboro team led by guards Kenyon Giles (16.3 points), Donovan Atwell (12.3 points), and Ronald Polite III (10.3). It opened with a 73-64 win over Florida Gulf Coast before losing to SMU 81-68 and North Carolina Wesleyan 99-64.
UNC Greensboro and IU’s next opponent, Louisville as part of next week’s Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, both emphasize 3-point shooting. Containing that, Carlyle says, means playing defense the way Woodson wants, which is get up close enough to touch the shooters.
“We have to have ball pressure, and make sure we make the life of the guards and bigs as hard as possible,” he says. “Make their shots hard; defend each possession out; and get the rebound.”
IU allows 62.3 points on 36.6% shooting. Opponents shoot 26.7% from 3-point range and have committed 41 turnovers. The Hoosiers also have blocked 18 shots with 25 steals.
“I have full faith in Coach Woodson’s pick-and-roll defense,” Carlyle says. “It was something different and was something to get used to. Guys are still adjusting. We work it every day to get it down pat. I feel it will be good for us. Once we get it down it will be something special for us.
