Prospect Spotlight: Eli Isaacs (2021)

<p>Valley Center rising guard [player_tooltip player_id="889525" first="Eli" last="Isaacs"] is looking to put together a break out junior season after a strong offseason.</p> <p>At 6’1, 165-pounds, Isaacs is an aggressive defensive player who excels playing in transition. Much of his offense comes from playing solid defense and he takes pride in playing with a big motor.</p> <p>“I try to hustle and read opposing offenses to be successful on the defensive side,” he says.</p> <p>Isaacs put together a strong sophomore season a year ago, earning honorable mention all-state and all-conference honors after averaging 11 points, 3.2 assists, 3 rebounds and led the AVCTL with 61 steals.</p> <p>“ Last year we didn’t have as successful of a season as we wanted to,” Isaacs said. “We had the players to be a solid team but we weren’t able to finish games. Last year was a good start for me on varsity and I started to get more comfortable playing guard at the varsity level. I felt like last year I took the opportunity of starting as a sophomore and had a very successful season.”</p> <p>Isaacs didn’t play travel basketball, instead focusing on playing with his high school team. </p> <p>“We played really well together this summer and got some good wins,” he said. “I made the decision to not play on a summer team so I trained all summer with my trainer Randy Smithson.”</p> <p>Isaacs says he has high expectations for the upcoming season under head coach Ty Unrau.</p> <p>“I am so excited for this season, we have a great coach and a great team,” he says. “The team we have this year has been playing together since 4th grade and we have amazing chemistry. I am excited to see what this year’s squad is capable of doing.</p> <p>Issacs says there are a few match-ups on the calendar he is looking I am looking forward to this season, including Andover, Eisenhower and Andover Central.</p> <p>“(Johnson) and I have played against each other since middle school and it has been fun playing against him,” Isaacs said. “[player_tooltip player_id="530376" first="Jordan" last="Vincent"] from Eisenhower is another matchup I am excited about. He is an outstanding guard. The toughest matchup this year is going to be [player_tooltip player_id="530360" first="Xavier" last="Bell"] from Andover Central. [player_tooltip player_id="530360" first="Xavier" last="Bell"] is one of the best players in the league and is going to be very fun to guard.”Isaacs says his dad has had the biggest influence on his basketball career to date.</p> <p>“He has coached me my entire life and is the varsity assistant,” Isaacs said. “The reason I say my dad is because he knows the game of basketball but more importantly he cares about my character and my attitude on the court.”</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>