This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled down to Spartanburg, South Carolina our first live period of the travel ball season. Between the competition and slew of prospects, it made for a pretty exciting weekend. Like normal, college coaches came through the various sites to watch players and see who will be the next to emerge as a potential target. Although most of their attention was focused on the oldest age group, there were still plenty of guys worth noting playing in 16U and 15U. We will take a closer look at some individuals who stood out, starting with Isaiah Blair.
At 6-foot-2, Blair is a steady, poised combo guard with a polished offensive arsenal and quality feel for the game on both ends of the floor. He handles the ball well and plays with great pace, which allows him to control the tempo as a primary creator. The lefty is excellent at getting to his strong hand, particularly on drives, and finishing with craftiness or through contact. Blair draws fouls at a healthy rate and converts at a high percentage from the line. He’s a great three-point shooter with range and nice use of ball fakes. Blair is also a willing and capable playmaker with a clear desire to make the right play as opposed to forcing the action or trying to do too much. He defends his position, rebounds well for his size, and consistently pushes the break in transition. Blair does a great job of simply being in the mix defensively, which seems to naturally lead to forced turnovers. He already shines as a clear leader for Team Jumpstart, specifically through his ability to step up in critical moments, and should be a piece to monitor going forward.
Given everything he showed last weekend, expect him to continue turning heads over the next calendar year. The well-rounded guard should be a very useful contributor for Northwood during his upcoming junior season, but he’s still someone that coaches should watch throughout the remainder of the summer season. See Blair at Phenom Hoops Live in Raleigh this weekend.