Hey guys, below are key quotes from my interview with Kanaan Carlyle. The rest will be saved for the article.
On why he chose Overtime Elite for next season: "It was the best situation for me both academically and basketball. I feel like with what they’re doing down there now with the scholarship program to where you can stay eligible for college, it’s a great route to take, especially when you got access to the gym. Getting in whenever. You got the best trainers. Get in at 11, but they train you, they push you hard, they want you to be great, who understand your schedule, who understand how busy and all of that can be. So, I feel like it’s the best decision for me and my family."
On how OTE will make him a better player: "I would be ready for the day I step on campus. So I feel like with the training they have, the training regiment they have, they’re probably gonna push me and just the coaches, the trainers that they do have at the program is honestly amazing. They understand analytics, they understand everything about the game, they have everything in place. They act like I’ll be ready for when I step on campus."
On playing with USA Basketball: "It was amazing. It’s just a once in a lifetime opportunity to play for your country at the age of 17. So it was just a great experience and it just opened up my eyes to a new role on a team. Me going down there, I wasn’t a starter, I was playing off the bench and I had a different role than I do on the TSF or Milton [High School]. So it opened my eyes up, it was a challenge for me, I had to push through and fight through adversity."
On why he chose Stanford: "I feel like it was the best fit for me both education and basketball-wise. Basketball-wise, I’ve been playing with great point guards pretty much my whole career, playing with Isaiah Collier. So we felt like it was the best fit for me to go there and me being able to show off my point guard skills and me being able to try to help lead Stanford to get to the tournament and hopefully win the national championship."
On Jerod Haase and his relationship with him: "Oh it’s amazing. He calls me about every week just to check in and check in on my family. Yeah, it has a great coaching staff. I love them."
On his relationship with assistant coach Rob Ehsan: "Coach Rob was the first one recruiting me. What’s crazy is I’ve been knowing Coach Rob since about seventh grade. So I’ve been knowing him for a long time. We got close through the recruiting process and ultimately yeah, he was a big part of why I made my decision."
On why he chose Overtime Elite for next season: "It was the best situation for me both academically and basketball. I feel like with what they’re doing down there now with the scholarship program to where you can stay eligible for college, it’s a great route to take, especially when you got access to the gym. Getting in whenever. You got the best trainers. Get in at 11, but they train you, they push you hard, they want you to be great, who understand your schedule, who understand how busy and all of that can be. So, I feel like it’s the best decision for me and my family."
On how OTE will make him a better player: "I would be ready for the day I step on campus. So I feel like with the training they have, the training regiment they have, they’re probably gonna push me and just the coaches, the trainers that they do have at the program is honestly amazing. They understand analytics, they understand everything about the game, they have everything in place. They act like I’ll be ready for when I step on campus."
On playing with USA Basketball: "It was amazing. It’s just a once in a lifetime opportunity to play for your country at the age of 17. So it was just a great experience and it just opened up my eyes to a new role on a team. Me going down there, I wasn’t a starter, I was playing off the bench and I had a different role than I do on the TSF or Milton [High School]. So it opened my eyes up, it was a challenge for me, I had to push through and fight through adversity."
On why he chose Stanford: "I feel like it was the best fit for me both education and basketball-wise. Basketball-wise, I’ve been playing with great point guards pretty much my whole career, playing with Isaiah Collier. So we felt like it was the best fit for me to go there and me being able to show off my point guard skills and me being able to try to help lead Stanford to get to the tournament and hopefully win the national championship."
On Jerod Haase and his relationship with him: "Oh it’s amazing. He calls me about every week just to check in and check in on my family. Yeah, it has a great coaching staff. I love them."
On his relationship with assistant coach Rob Ehsan: "Coach Rob was the first one recruiting me. What’s crazy is I’ve been knowing Coach Rob since about seventh grade. So I’ve been knowing him for a long time. We got close through the recruiting process and ultimately yeah, he was a big part of why I made my decision."
