By ADAM ZAGORIA
Isaiah Abraham, the 6-foot-7, 200-pound four-star small forward from Paul VI (VA), is headed to play for NCAA champion UConn.
Abraham, who is coming off winning the 17U Peach Jam championship with Team Takeover on Sunday, chose the Huskies over Marquette, Providence and Virginia Tech.
“I think it was just the connection and the vision and belief for me to be great, and the connection I had with the staff and players,” Abraham told ZAGSBLOG Friday ahead of his public announcement. “Ultimately, it just felt like the right place where I could maximize my potential and opportunities going into the next chapter.”
The Huskies are coming off winning the program’s fifth NCAA championship — and first under Dan Hurley — and just sent three players to the NBA in Jordan Hawkins, Andre Jackson Jr. and Adama Sanogo.
“I feel like the whole coaching staff and the program is a winning organization, not just because they won but because of their mentality,” Abraham said. “They just talk a lot about winning and how much they care about winning. I like winning.”
At Peach Jam, Abraham averaged 6.9 points and 3.4 rebounds as Takeover won its third title by defeating MoKan Elite in the championship. He notched 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in the final.
“I’ll be a three-level scorer, an elite defender, and someone who can make a huge impact on defense and offense,” Abraham said of his skillset. “I’m just going to expand my offensive game.”
He is the third Paul VI (Va.) senior to commit to college, following Duke-bound guard Darren Harris and Rhode Island-bound point guard Ben Hammond.
“Isaiah has all the tools to make an impact on the game,” PVI coach Glenn Farello told ZAGSBLOG. “His length and athleticism allows him to defend multiple positions and rebound.
“On the offensive end, Isaiah is a high level catch and shoot shooter with a great mid-range game. Coach Hurley will bring out the best in him. Coach [Luke] Murray did an amazing job building a relationship with Isaiah. Zay really connected with him and the whole team on his visit.”
Abraham is UConn’s first 2024 commit but they are also involved for PVI big man Pat Ngongba, Abraham’s cousin who is down to a final eight, as well as Imhotep Charter (Pa.) point guard Ahmad Nowell, who will announce July 23. They are also recruiting others like St. Thomas More (CT) wing Tyler Betsey, Archbishop Stepinac point guard Boogie Fland and Cooper Flagg, the superstar Class of 2025 forward who may reclass to 2024. “It would be pretty tough,” Abraham said. “Me and Pat being cousins and stuff, playing with each other before, we have a really good feel. And Ahmad Nowell, I know him and I played against him and stuff. It would be huge, it would be a pretty good class coming in.” Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookScouting Isaiah Abraham:
— Adam Finkelstein (@AdamFinkelstein) July 14, 2023
▪️Strong & athletic combo-forward
▪️Junkyard dog mentality
▪️Downhill straight line driver
▪️Two-way versatility & mismatch scoring potential pic.twitter.com/7O7eX4mGU7
