5-star guard Kanaan Carlyle commits to Stanford

Kanaan Carlyle, a 6-foot-3 point guard out of Alpharetta (Ga.) Milton has committed to Stanford basketball for the class of 2023, he tells On3. 

The Georgia native ultimately chose the Stanford Cardinal over Baylor, Auburn, Kansas, and Florida. He also received offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Tennessee, among others.

Kanaan Carlyle is the No. 15 prospect in the 2023 class, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He is ranked as the No. 3 combo guard and the No. 1 player in Georgia.

Why Stanford?

“I’m going to take my talents to Stanford,” Carlyle told On3. “It’s more of a life decision for me, knowing how good life can be after basketball. Basketball won’t always be there. Hopefully, I can play until I’m 40, 45, but after that, I have something to lean back on. Having Stanford on my resume, that’s a big thing.”

Carlyle says he would like to study business or marketing. 

What does Carlyle bring to Stanford?

“Just bringing my mentality to the team, bringing that dog-like attitude and spirit,” he says. “That hard work and come in and play aggressively and just change the attitude of the team and change the altitude of the program and turn everything around.”

Carlyle is the definition of the word competitor. He plays both sides of the ball with tremendous effort, even when the game isn’t going his way. His foot is on the gas the entire time he’s on the floor. He has the capability of scoring at all three levels and is a guy you can trust with the ball in his hands. Although he’s primarily a scorer, Carlyle is unselfish and is more than happy to get his teammates involved and make the right pass.