Canaan's No. 3 Retired At Murray State

Photo Gallery (Tab Brockman, Curt Hart, Dave Winder)

When Murray State Athletics surprised Isaiah Canaan by retiring his No. 3 uniform number Saturday, it was certainly a huge surprised for the former Racer Basketball All-America. However, it was no 36478

surprise because when looking at his career from 2009-13 in Murray. It was only a matter of time before it happened.

At halftime of the MSU men's basketball game against Tennessee Tech at the CFSB Center (Feb. 17), the 2018 MSU Hall of Fame class, including Canaan, were on the floor being recognized. When the class was exiting the floor, MSU Director of Athletics, Allen Ward, asked Canaan to remain.

Ward's comments led up to the moment when Canaan's No. 3 was unveiled in the rafters of the CFSB Center.

"Isaiah Canaan is a remarkable talent, was a special teammate, a fine student-athlete and a genuine friend to everybody," Ward stated. "So tonight we honor Isaiah Canaan, We recognize him for his accomplishments and thank him for the memories and we all share them in his amazing career. So Isaiah, from this day forward, no one will ever wear No. 3 for Murray State Basketball! Your name and number will forever hang from the rafters at the CFSB Center. Congratulations and thank you, we love you from the bottom of our hearts!"
After a lengthy standing ovation, a stunned Canaan spoke from the heart.

"Wow! I don't even know where to start," Canaan said. "Because without you all that number wouldn't be up there. I had no idea this was happening tonight, so I don't even have a speech. I want to thank you all for pushing me and my mom and dad and grandma for making me the man I am today. I thank my girl Kaytlin, she's the real MVP behind the scenes."

It was one of the many memorable moments to occur in the 20 years of the CFSB Center as the 6,495 came to its feet to cheer and thank Canaan. He stayed long after the Racers defeated Tech for pictures and autographs and to just soak up this special night.

The last time MSU retired a number was in 2010 when Marcus Brown's No. 5 was hung from the rafters, also when he was inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame. Canaan is the 10th Racer to have a number retired in men's basketball at Murray State. Here is the complete list by year.

MSU Men's Basketball Retired Numbers
(21) Bennie Purcell (1952)
(16) Garrett Beshear (1953)
(19) Howie Crittenden (1956)
(15) Jeff Martin (1989)
(30) Paul King (1991)
(54) Popeye Jones (1992)
(26) Joe Fulks (2001)
(20) Johnny Reagan (2003)
(5) Marcus Brown (2010)
(3) Isaiah Canaan (2018)

One of 10 three-time All-OVC selections (2011, 2012, 2013), Isaiah Canaan was a two-time OVC Player of the Year (2012, 2013) and OVC Freshman of the Year in 2010. He was also an All-America selection in 2012.

In 2013, he joined fellow MSU Hall of Fame inductee Frank Allen as the only MSU players to rank in the top-10 in scoring, made 3-point baskets, made free throws, assists and steals.

In 2013, Canaan became the first MSU player since Marcus Brown in 1996 to be drafted into the NBA. The Houston Rockets selected him in the second round as the 34th overall pick. In 2017, he completed his fourth season in the NBA as a member of the Chicago Bulls and was playing this season with the Phoenix Suns before a recent injury sidelined him.

Playing a pair of seasons each for coaches Billy Kennedy and Steve Prohm, Canaan was part of the winningest class in Murray State Basketball history with 106 wins including three-straight OVC regular season championships. Canaan played a big part in two of Murray State's three wins in the NCAA Tournament when the Racers beat Vanderbilt in 2010 and Colorado State in 2012 and a memorable 23-0 start to Coach Steve Prohm's first season in 2011-12.

Canaan is one of only six MSU players and one of only 17 in the OVC to reach 2,000 career points, as he ranks fifth all-time at MSU with 2,050 points. Canaan is also the all-time leader at MSU and second in the OVC with 304 made 3-point baskets.

Murray State University

Players Mentioned

Isaiah Canaan

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