Brandan Isaac will never be confused with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz movie. However, they both agree, there is no place like home.
Well, at least close to home for Isaac in regards to where he will continue his athletic career at the next level.
Turns out, the perfect spot for the Summers County multi-sport all-stater was just down the road at Concord University.
With interest from the Mountain Lions in football baseball and basketball, Isaac signed a National Letter of Intent in May to play basketball later this year for Concord.
“I prayed about it continuously. I asked the Lord to guide me and direct me in my steps. He got me here,” Isaac said. “I talked to friends and got some advice from some of the coaches. Summers County has not had a guy sign for basketball since (Andrew) Gunnoe in 2008, so I wanted to prove I can play at that level. Plus, Concord is about 15-20 minutes away which is a huge plus for me.”
Playing quarterback on the football team, Isaac guided the Bobcats back to the postseason by throwing for over 2,200 and 24 touchdowns.
On the diamond he earned first team all-state honors.
On the hardwood, Isaac averaged over 20 points per game, but did so in an unorthodox fashion for today’s game.
In a game that has been all about shooting the 3 and getting the ball to the rim, the Summers County standout does his best work in the mid-range area.
“I said one time in the past that he had an old school game and some of his buddies gave him a hard time about it,” Summers County head coach Robert Bowling said. “He has a really good pull-up game and not many people, at any level, do that. It allows him to get off some shots when he can’t quite get to the front of the rim.”
“Brandan did a lot of scoring for us this year, but he also had a block or two a game” Bowling continued. “He had three or four assists per game. The he would sneak in there and get six or seven rebounds. He is as complete a player that I have had in the 22 years I have been with the program in terms of the all-around game.”
While Isaac agrees that the mid-range area is his strength, he also knows he will need to improve in other areas as well.
“I think it is a little bit of an anomaly how I play with the mid-range shots. At the college level you have to do that and score at all three levels,” Isaac said. “The 3-point line moving back will be an adjustment, but it is for everybody. Hopefully I can shoot that well enough to get on the floor as much as possible.”
Bowling also talked about Isaac being a cerebral player on the floor and how he helped his team.
“I have said all along that he is a good player, but he is a better kid. He is academically smart, but he is also athletically smart. That doesn’t always equate. He has done some things in games and coaches have said that was really smart. I would say, well that wasn’t me, that was him. He saw something and he did it.”
“When things went sideways this year, they were all very willing to look for Brandan. They knew. It is reassuring to have that calming presence on the floor.”
Isaac added track and field to his sports resume this year, but now he believes playing one sport in college could take him to new heights.
“Being able to focus on one sport I feel like is going to help me more than anything. I won’t be going to three different practices in the summer,” Isaac said. “I will only be going to one. That will allow me to get in the weight room more and lift more.”
His former high school mentor echoed those sentiments and also talked about how he is ahead of the game in regards to academics.
“Academically he is very well suited. He will have a bunch of hours in hand when he shows up at Athens,” Bowling said. “He is going to get bigger, but he has never had the opportunity to focus on one sport. As a school, we needed him to play all those sports.”
Isaac has not been on the big stage often in basketball, but when he has, the all-state guard has shined.
“I performed well at the (Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center) where I had almost 30. Both games against Bluefield I had 20 (points),” Isaac said. “Even playing against (two-time state champion) James Monroe last year with (State Player of the Year) Eli (Allen) and those guys, I felt like I performed pretty well. Just knowing I could do that and going out and proving it was big.”
Baseball and football are still in the back of his mind, but once he graduates high school, Isaac will be laser focused on basketball.
“That is my complete focus right now. I will work on getting bigger as a whole, muscular-wise and grow my game. I want to extend my range a little bit, but I think my game will translate well to college.”
