This UNC basketball target is the No. 1 player in the state. But will he move to Florida?
By Jonas Pope IV
NORTH AUGUSTA, SC
Isaiah Todd, a class of 2020 power forward from Raleigh’s Trinity Academy, could be changing schools -- and states -- again.
Before moving to Raleigh, Todd played for John Marshall High School in Richmond, Va. At the Nike EYBL Peach Jam last week, Todd hinted he could be moving again.
Todd, who’s 6-10 and 195 pounds, is the No. 1 basketball player in North Carolina, but this summer he played in 13 regular season games for Nightrydas Elite, a Florida-based AAU team, where he averaged 18 points per game.
He previously played AAU basketball on the Adidas (Team Loaded) and Under Armour (Team Thrill) circuits. When asked how he ended up on a Florida team this summer, Todd said his trainer, Ronnie Taylor, is based out of Florida. So Todd spent this summer working with Taylor and playing for the Nightrydas.
Last week, Todd said he was looking for a high school in Florida and some coaches gave him some input. When asked if that meant he wouldn’t be returning to Trinity, Todd told a group of reporters “no comment.”
If Todd transfers from Trinity Academy, it would be a huge blow to the Tigers, who went 21-12 last season with Todd in the lineup. Todd being in the Triangle also gives an inside track to UNC, which is in his top 10 list that also includes Memphis, Maryland, Kentucky, Oregon, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, UCF and UCLA.
At the Peach Jam, Todd told the media that Memphis, which had the top recruiting class of 2019, has made a push for him. Penny Hardaway, the Memphis coach, was at the tournament Wednesday watching him play. Todd also said UNC in still in constant contact with him
“I hear from them,” Todd said of UNC. “They just keep preaching the family environment and they keep saying I’m the perfect player for their system.”
Todd’s last trip to Chapel Hill was in February when the Tar Heels hosted Duke. He says he was impressed with the atmosphere there and got a chance to talk with incoming UNC freshmen Armando Bacot and Cole Anthony, who were also on visits the same weekend.
“It was fun being there with some of the players who were going there,” Todd said. “They were trying to recruit me and it was interesting to hear what they had to say.”
Todd went on to say, however, that there were other schools -- Kentucky, Maryland and Oklahoma State -- that he felt have made him a top priority.
Kentucky coach John Calipari was at the Peach Jam Wednesday morning to watch him. Todd has also taken an official visit to Maryland and plans to schedule official visits to Kentucky and Kansas in the fall, he said. He has already had a home visit from Kansas.
UNC’s only class of 2020 commit is Day’Ron Sharpe, a 6-10, 246-pound center from Winterville. He’s the No. 2 player in the state behind Todd.
By Jonas Pope IV
NORTH AUGUSTA, SC
Isaiah Todd, a class of 2020 power forward from Raleigh’s Trinity Academy, could be changing schools -- and states -- again.
Before moving to Raleigh, Todd played for John Marshall High School in Richmond, Va. At the Nike EYBL Peach Jam last week, Todd hinted he could be moving again.
Todd, who’s 6-10 and 195 pounds, is the No. 1 basketball player in North Carolina, but this summer he played in 13 regular season games for Nightrydas Elite, a Florida-based AAU team, where he averaged 18 points per game.
He previously played AAU basketball on the Adidas (Team Loaded) and Under Armour (Team Thrill) circuits. When asked how he ended up on a Florida team this summer, Todd said his trainer, Ronnie Taylor, is based out of Florida. So Todd spent this summer working with Taylor and playing for the Nightrydas.
Last week, Todd said he was looking for a high school in Florida and some coaches gave him some input. When asked if that meant he wouldn’t be returning to Trinity, Todd told a group of reporters “no comment.”
If Todd transfers from Trinity Academy, it would be a huge blow to the Tigers, who went 21-12 last season with Todd in the lineup. Todd being in the Triangle also gives an inside track to UNC, which is in his top 10 list that also includes Memphis, Maryland, Kentucky, Oregon, Kansas, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma State, UCF and UCLA.
At the Peach Jam, Todd told the media that Memphis, which had the top recruiting class of 2019, has made a push for him. Penny Hardaway, the Memphis coach, was at the tournament Wednesday watching him play. Todd also said UNC in still in constant contact with him
“I hear from them,” Todd said of UNC. “They just keep preaching the family environment and they keep saying I’m the perfect player for their system.”
Todd’s last trip to Chapel Hill was in February when the Tar Heels hosted Duke. He says he was impressed with the atmosphere there and got a chance to talk with incoming UNC freshmen Armando Bacot and Cole Anthony, who were also on visits the same weekend.
“It was fun being there with some of the players who were going there,” Todd said. “They were trying to recruit me and it was interesting to hear what they had to say.”
Todd went on to say, however, that there were other schools -- Kentucky, Maryland and Oklahoma State -- that he felt have made him a top priority.
Kentucky coach John Calipari was at the Peach Jam Wednesday morning to watch him. Todd has also taken an official visit to Maryland and plans to schedule official visits to Kentucky and Kansas in the fall, he said. He has already had a home visit from Kansas.
UNC’s only class of 2020 commit is Day’Ron Sharpe, a 6-10, 246-pound center from Winterville. He’s the No. 2 player in the state behind Todd.
