2014 Kentucky Wildcats Basketball Recruiting: Isaiah Whitehead

Isaiah Whitehead

Brooklyn, New York

6’4″, 195lbs. SG

Scout Ranking: #6 Shooting Guard, #31 Overall

Rivals Ranking: #4 Guard, #13 Overall

ESPN Ranking: #8 Shooting Guard, #47 Overall

Isaiah Whitehead is a 6’4″ shooting guard from Brooklyn, New York.  He attends Abraham Lincoln High School and plays his AAU basketball for the Juice All-Stars.  Whitehead is currently considering Arizona, Florida, Georgetown, Iowa State, Kentucky, Miami (FL), Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John’s, Syracuse, UCLA, USC, and Xavier, in no order of preference.  Whitehead has offers from all except for Kentucky, Miami (FL), Seton Hall, and USC, but is hoping for offers from the other four.  It has been rumored that Syracuse is above everyone else, but signing with a school is a long way off and the list will surely shift and be shortened in the coming months.

Isaiah Whitehead’s strengths, according to ESPN.com include his excellent vision and touch on passes when he draws a second defender with his slashing and penetration. He is a big guard with a strong frame who can get to the rim east to west as well as he does north to south. Equally effective from the wing or attacking along the baseline, Whitehead attacks both sides and makes great use of a series of catch and go moves. He has good lift on his mid-range pull-up and comfortable range to about 18 feet although he can knock down the open three with needed time and space. His size and athleticism allow him to defend both backcourt positions while his toughness and high motor are also big assets on both ends of the floor. He rebounds the ball well for a guard and loves to take the ball off the defensive glass and lead the break.

Whitehead’s weaknesses, according to ESPN.com include that he has a good frame and is already strong for his size but will need to continue to build strength. He has unorthodox mechanics on his jumper with his right foot far ahead of his left, and must work to make his jumper more consistent from behind the arc. He also needs to become a more consistent finisher in traffic. At times Whitehead disappears in games and is not a factor for long periods of time. He loves to spin right to left at times out of control in traffic when makes him charge prone.

The bottom line on Isaiah Whitehead is that he is a tough and competitive scoring guard with great size that can help at the point. He has a terrific mid range game and can make plays for himself or others with the ball in his hands. He must continue to build his game but his upside is tremendous.

The shooting guard position in this class is not particularly strong, so the Kentucky Wildcats chances of going after Isaiah Whitehead are actually pretty high, look for Coach Cal to be checking out Whitehead in the future.