Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Bob Brinson
Isaiah Canaan Prepares For NBA Draft
5/22/2013 3:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Murray State's Isaiah Canaan increased his NBA Draft stock over the weekend at the draft combine in Chicago, Ill., according to the various media outlets that attended the workouts.
Racer fans are invited to click on the links below to go to several places that are talking about Isaiah Canaan, who came to MSU in 2009 from Biloxi, Miss., and had a great career for the Racers.
Seth Davis of CBS Sports and CampusInsiders.com sat down in Chicago with the Racers' All-America and two-time Ohio Valley Conference selection and got first hand from Canaan his view and experiences of preparing to play at the next level in the National Basketball Association.
“This was a great opportunity to showcase my ability and what Murray State produces as well,” Canaan told Davis. “I'm blessed to be up here in the combine.”
Campus Insiders asked Canaan why he chose to come back to Murray State for his senior 2012-13 season when there was an opportunity to enter the NBA Draft after his junior season.
“I had won three (OVC) rings in a row, why not go get a fourth one?” Canaan said. “I was a senior and you can't get that year back. I wanted to graduate and I did that last Saturday. Steve Prohm (MSU head coach) was a guy that recruited me and believed in me and I wanted to give him another year. I wanted to experience senior night walking out with my parents. I got to experience all of those, although we came up short for the championship.”
The Racer Nation certainly expressed their gratitude and love to Canaan and the entire senior class before the last home game (March 2) when Ed Daniel, Jordan Burge, Brandon Garrett, Latreze Mushatt and Stacy Wilson were honored. The four-year seniors of Canaan, Burge and Daniel won 106 games which is the record for a class at Murray State.
Racer coach Steve Prohm echoed those sentiments this week on the Neal Bradley Show on WNBS Radio in Murray, Ky.
“I'm really proud of Isaiah and how he has represented himself and this program. Not just in Chicago but over the last four years,” Prohm said. “I met someone from the Atlanta Hawks up there and it sums up Isaiah when they said he just blew us away in our interview. I knew that was going to happen.”
With the NBA Draft approaching, Canaan talked about his prospects of being taken in the first round.
“Me personally, I think it would be (if he wasn't selected in the first round) a little disappointing,” Canaan said. “My family will be excited where ever I go. I'm a competitor and I'm trying to go as high as I can and I have the ability to do that. I'm pushing every day, training as hard as I can trying to make the best impression I can. At the end of the day, I'll be blessed and thankful for that.”
In addition to Campus Insiders, Canaan also did a video interview last week in Chicago with HoopsWorld.com.
NBADraft.net currently has Canaan listed No. 31 on their Big Board 100, while SBNation.com has him ranked No. 38.
CBSSports.com writer Jeff Goodman ranks Canaan high on his pre-draft list.
DraftExpress.com lists Canaan on its list of picks.
Michael Grant of the Courier Journal wrote about Canaan's pre-draft expectations.
SI.com listed Canaan on its list of measurements for the participants at the combine in Chicago.
ScoutingTheMidMajors.com also wrote about Canaan's chances in the NBA Draft.
BleacherReport.com weighed in on their mock NBA Draft and where Canaan fits.
Draft watchers have Canaan being selected anywhere from the late first round to early second round. Possibilities for the former Racer include: the San Antonio Spurs (No. 28), Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 29) and Phoenix Sun (No. 30) with the last pick of the first round. The second round begins with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City at No. 32 and No. 33 while the Houston Rockets has the No. 34 selection. In reality, nobody knows for sure where the Murray State MVP will go.
Canaan stands to become the 21st Murray State player to be drafted by the NBA and the first since Marcus Brown who was taken in the second round (No. 46 overall) by Portland in 1996.
The NBA Draft will be staged at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 27. ESPN has live coverage beginning at 6 p.m. CT. Fans can get draft updates from the official site of the National Basketball Association.
Isaiah Canaan's status as one of the greats to wear the Murray State blue and gold is secure after an outstanding four-year career that featured multiple All-America awards as a junior and senior. Along the way, Canaan was a two-time OVC Player of the Year and semifinalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award. He leaves MSU as the sixth player to reach 2,000 points and the 17th in the OVC. MSU won three straight OVC regular season titles, made two NCAA Tournament trips and one to the NIT during Canaan's career.
Here is the history of Murray State players and the draft.
Murray State NBA Draft Picks
Player Year Round (Pick) Team League
Bennie Purcell 1952 n/a Baltimore NBA
Garrett Beshear 1953 n/a Syracuse NBA
Howie Crittenden 1956 n/a New York NBA
Quitman Sullins 1958 5 (33) Minneapolis NBA
Stewart Johnson 1966 3 (21) New York NBA
Don Duncan 1967 10 (112) San Diego NBA
Herb McPherson 1967 5 (55) San Diego NBA
Dick Cunningham 1968 2 (21) Phoenix NBA
Claude Virden 1970 9 (142) Seattle NBA
Hector Blondet 1971 5 (71) Portland NBA
Ron Johnson 1971 9 (144) Baltimore NBA
Les Taylor 1973 9 (142) Cleveland NBA
Grover Woolard 1977 6 (132) L.A. Lakers NBA
Mike Muff 1978 10 (193) Golden State NBA
Gary Hooker 1980 4 (89) Seattle NBA
Glen Green 1983 6 (119) Denver NBA
Mike Lahm 1985 5 (100) Detroit NBA
Jeff Martin 1989 2 (31) L.A. Clippers NBA
Popeye Jones 1992 2 (41) Houston NBA
Marcus Brown 1996 2 (46) Portland NBA
Other Leagues MSU Draft Selections
Johnny Reagan 1948 n/a Chicago BAA
Dick Cunningham 1968 n/a N.Y. Nets ABA
Claude Virden 1970 n/a Kentucky ABA
Hector Blondet 1971 n/a Virginia ABA
Ron Williams 1972 n/a Dallas ABA
Les Taylor 1973 * Kentucky ABA
*ABA Supplementary Draft
Racer fans are invited to click on the links below to go to several places that are talking about Isaiah Canaan, who came to MSU in 2009 from Biloxi, Miss., and had a great career for the Racers.
Seth Davis of CBS Sports and CampusInsiders.com sat down in Chicago with the Racers' All-America and two-time Ohio Valley Conference selection and got first hand from Canaan his view and experiences of preparing to play at the next level in the National Basketball Association.
“This was a great opportunity to showcase my ability and what Murray State produces as well,” Canaan told Davis. “I'm blessed to be up here in the combine.”
Campus Insiders asked Canaan why he chose to come back to Murray State for his senior 2012-13 season when there was an opportunity to enter the NBA Draft after his junior season.
“I had won three (OVC) rings in a row, why not go get a fourth one?” Canaan said. “I was a senior and you can't get that year back. I wanted to graduate and I did that last Saturday. Steve Prohm (MSU head coach) was a guy that recruited me and believed in me and I wanted to give him another year. I wanted to experience senior night walking out with my parents. I got to experience all of those, although we came up short for the championship.”
The Racer Nation certainly expressed their gratitude and love to Canaan and the entire senior class before the last home game (March 2) when Ed Daniel, Jordan Burge, Brandon Garrett, Latreze Mushatt and Stacy Wilson were honored. The four-year seniors of Canaan, Burge and Daniel won 106 games which is the record for a class at Murray State.
Racer coach Steve Prohm echoed those sentiments this week on the Neal Bradley Show on WNBS Radio in Murray, Ky.
“I'm really proud of Isaiah and how he has represented himself and this program. Not just in Chicago but over the last four years,” Prohm said. “I met someone from the Atlanta Hawks up there and it sums up Isaiah when they said he just blew us away in our interview. I knew that was going to happen.”
With the NBA Draft approaching, Canaan talked about his prospects of being taken in the first round.
“Me personally, I think it would be (if he wasn't selected in the first round) a little disappointing,” Canaan said. “My family will be excited where ever I go. I'm a competitor and I'm trying to go as high as I can and I have the ability to do that. I'm pushing every day, training as hard as I can trying to make the best impression I can. At the end of the day, I'll be blessed and thankful for that.”
In addition to Campus Insiders, Canaan also did a video interview last week in Chicago with HoopsWorld.com.
NBADraft.net currently has Canaan listed No. 31 on their Big Board 100, while SBNation.com has him ranked No. 38.
CBSSports.com writer Jeff Goodman ranks Canaan high on his pre-draft list.
DraftExpress.com lists Canaan on its list of picks.
Michael Grant of the Courier Journal wrote about Canaan's pre-draft expectations.
SI.com listed Canaan on its list of measurements for the participants at the combine in Chicago.
ScoutingTheMidMajors.com also wrote about Canaan's chances in the NBA Draft.
BleacherReport.com weighed in on their mock NBA Draft and where Canaan fits.
Draft watchers have Canaan being selected anywhere from the late first round to early second round. Possibilities for the former Racer include: the San Antonio Spurs (No. 28), Oklahoma City Thunder (No. 29) and Phoenix Sun (No. 30) with the last pick of the first round. The second round begins with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City at No. 32 and No. 33 while the Houston Rockets has the No. 34 selection. In reality, nobody knows for sure where the Murray State MVP will go.
Canaan stands to become the 21st Murray State player to be drafted by the NBA and the first since Marcus Brown who was taken in the second round (No. 46 overall) by Portland in 1996.
The NBA Draft will be staged at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. on June 27. ESPN has live coverage beginning at 6 p.m. CT. Fans can get draft updates from the official site of the National Basketball Association.
Isaiah Canaan's status as one of the greats to wear the Murray State blue and gold is secure after an outstanding four-year career that featured multiple All-America awards as a junior and senior. Along the way, Canaan was a two-time OVC Player of the Year and semifinalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award. He leaves MSU as the sixth player to reach 2,000 points and the 17th in the OVC. MSU won three straight OVC regular season titles, made two NCAA Tournament trips and one to the NIT during Canaan's career.
Here is the history of Murray State players and the draft.
Murray State NBA Draft Picks
Player Year Round (Pick) Team League
Bennie Purcell 1952 n/a Baltimore NBA
Garrett Beshear 1953 n/a Syracuse NBA
Howie Crittenden 1956 n/a New York NBA
Quitman Sullins 1958 5 (33) Minneapolis NBA
Stewart Johnson 1966 3 (21) New York NBA
Don Duncan 1967 10 (112) San Diego NBA
Herb McPherson 1967 5 (55) San Diego NBA
Dick Cunningham 1968 2 (21) Phoenix NBA
Claude Virden 1970 9 (142) Seattle NBA
Hector Blondet 1971 5 (71) Portland NBA
Ron Johnson 1971 9 (144) Baltimore NBA
Les Taylor 1973 9 (142) Cleveland NBA
Grover Woolard 1977 6 (132) L.A. Lakers NBA
Mike Muff 1978 10 (193) Golden State NBA
Gary Hooker 1980 4 (89) Seattle NBA
Glen Green 1983 6 (119) Denver NBA
Mike Lahm 1985 5 (100) Detroit NBA
Jeff Martin 1989 2 (31) L.A. Clippers NBA
Popeye Jones 1992 2 (41) Houston NBA
Marcus Brown 1996 2 (46) Portland NBA
Other Leagues MSU Draft Selections
Johnny Reagan 1948 n/a Chicago BAA
Dick Cunningham 1968 n/a N.Y. Nets ABA
Claude Virden 1970 n/a Kentucky ABA
Hector Blondet 1971 n/a Virginia ABA
Ron Williams 1972 n/a Dallas ABA
Les Taylor 1973 * Kentucky ABA
*ABA Supplementary Draft
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