By ZACH SMART
Being able to sit down on guards and impact the passing lanes with his length and knack for deflections, Isaiah Abraham is emblematic of the defensive versatility and integrity within Team Takeover.
The 6-foot-7 Abraham, who guards the 1-5, continues to set a loud tone for a team that prides itself on neutralizing high powered offenses.
“We really play defense, a lot of teams don’t value defense like we do,” said Abraham of Team Takeover’s smothering clamp down operation this spring and summer.
“We try to keep teams under 50 points. If we do that, the offense will come. We just get to it, defensively. We all have that mentality to be an absolute dog on defense.”
A certifiable three-level scorer with a vertically explosive game, Abraham has also been an active ingredient on the offensive and defensive glass at nationally prominent Paul VI Catholic (VA). The DMV product is currently hearing from the likes of Marquette, where he is a legacy, UConn, Providence, Virginia, and others. He recently visited Providence and was impressed with the culture instilled by head coach Kim English.
“I loved the atmosphere, I loved the coaches (at Providence),” said Abraham. ”It is going to be a really hard decision, I am just going to have to analyze the different programs and find out what the best fit is. Right now it is UConn, Marquette, and Providence that I am hearing from the most. With those options, you really cannot go wrong.”
Marquette, where Abraham’s father, Faisal Abraham, authored a four-year career in the 1990s, appears to be jockeying for front runner position in the Class of 2024 forward’s recruitment.
“The family ties I have with Marquette, they are pretty cool,” Abraham explained. “To be recruited by the school that my Dad played at, it is definitely unique. Coach Shaka Smart, he is just a really good coach and a really good person. Again, it is going to be a really hard decision to make because of the coaches and the relationships I have been able to develop with them.”
While he has not officially whittled down his list to four schools yet, Virginia appears to be another program Abraham will consider.
During his recent visit to UConn, Abraham said the close bonds the coaching staff and the players sustain was an intriguing factor.
“It was awesome,” he told ZAGSBLOG. “I got to really learn in depth about how their program works and thrives. I loved the relationship between the coaches and the players.”
Abraham has a significant bloodline. His aunt, Tajama Abraham Ngongba, played at George Washington University and in the WNBA. His cousin and Team Takeover teammate, Patrick Ngongba, is a 6-foot-11 inside-outside scoring threat and highly lauded recruit with offers from Duke, UConn, Michigan, and a vast array of others.
Abraham, however, has created his own identity with just how hard he plays.
“I am a guy who is going to get to it on the offensive and defensive end,” Abraham said. “I pride myself on being the guy who has the biggest motor on the floor at all times.”
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