Film Room: Isaiah Rivera 51 Point Performance
There was an epic performance by one of the state’s top prospects on Saturday. Geneseo 2020 wing Isaiah Rivera went for an incredible 51 points against Kaneland in a 77-71 victory. Here we dive into the Film Room: Isaiah Rivera…
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Continue ReadingThere was an epic performance by one of the state’s top prospects on Saturday. Geneseo 2020 wing Isaiah Rivera went for an incredible 51 points against Kaneland in a 77-71 victory. Here we dive into the Film Room: Isaiah Rivera 51 Point Performance to see how it all went down!
Rivera checks in as the #5 overall prospect and top wing in the PrepHoopsIllinois Rankings. He is a prospect that has been consistently toward the top of his class ever since we first saw him playing 15U on the travel team circuit. Rivera has been highly prioritized by Missouri Valley programs as he holds offers from Drake, Loyola, Valparaiso, Northern Iowa, Illinois State, and Bradley. He visited Loyola on Sunday after his big game. Dayton offered after the performance. Rivera also got an offer from St. John’s over the summer after playing for his national team along with interest from several other high-major schools.
It has been a bit of a struggle for Geneseo as a team this year with a young roster, but Rivera brings it every night. That is exactly what he did against Kaneland willing his team to a win. He scored in a variety of ways which we will breakdown. The most impressive part might have been how aggressive he was throughout the game. Sometimes top tier players fade in and out from an intensity standpoint even during big games. That wasn’t the case here. Rivera was excellent attacking off the dribble. He showed a smooth explosion blowing by his opponents off the dribble with hard drives along with crossovers. Many times throughout the contest he took it the length of the floor going right around his defender when they tried to engage with him. Strong with the ball through traffic.
At the rim he did an excellent job of finishing with fantastic body control. Quite a few acrobatic finishes and and-1s throughout. There were only a couple takes where he was out of control and was only called for one charge which is impressive for as much contact as he took in the paint. Also was consistent at the charity stripe as he knocked down a ton of them including a handful to close out their victory late.
The jump shot was solid as well. Really liked to set it up with a crossover where he could get himself in rhythm for a pull up three. Clean form and elevation on his jumper. Also displayed that connecting from mid-range multiple times as well. Gets into his shot in a fluid motion from handle to jumper.
Rivera did a nice job on the glass on both ends of the floor. Offensively he had a pair of put backs for scores. Defensively he crashed from his wing spot to often start the break for his own coast to coast buckets. Despite scoring a school record for points he also showed flashes as a passer especially in the first half. He made several quick dishes to his teammates for buckets in the paint along with a cross court skip for a three. Another thing to note was how excited he was for his teammates when they did score. Although he was having a career night he was so happy for his guys when they made key plays. Encouraging leader for sure!
Defensively he should be adequate at the college level. Not noted as an elite guy on that side of the ball he did block a three point attempt along with having a couple steals that led to points on the other end. One steal he got then went coast to coast for an and-1.
Overall the most insane thing was to see how Kaneland defended him for the majority of the second half. They played essentially a triangle in two with a two defenders following him all over the floor. I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw this. Rivera only turned it over a couple times with this defense and was great at moving to get the ball. Caught several passes on the run trying to get away from his two defenders.
His final stat line was 51 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.
PrepHoopsIllinois wants to thank Geneseo coach Brad Storm for forwarding us the film of this epic performance!