4-star Isaiah Abraham talks Marquette and UConn; breaks down his recruitment

Isaiah Abraham is the No. 26 player in the recent 2024 On150 update. The 6-foot-7 wing is a top five scorer, and starter for the No. 2 ranked team on Nike’s EYBL Circuit, Team Takeover. Abraham was also recently named to the top-30 game at the prestigious Pangos All-American Camp.

“I’ve developed perimeter-wise, able to make good decisions with the ball,” Abraham told On3. “With my high school, I played more of a four-man role this year. With Takeover, I’m more of a three, coming off ball screens and making shots and plays out of that. I’m watching a lot of Paul George, like when he was with the Pacers. Just how he facilitates the game and slows it down with his height and skill.”

On3 caught up with four-star Isaiah Abraham after a recent live viewing to talk about his recruitment.

Abraham talks Marquette

“My first visit was to Marquette,” Abraham said. “My favorite part of that visit was the coaches hanging out with the players. The overall feel I got there was real, and everyone in the program on the team, was connected. I like the culture they have there.

They play fast, and they play together. There isn’t any one-on-one; they play as a team, and I really mess with that. Then you have O-Max (Olivier Maxence Prosper) getting an opportunity in the draft. I can really see myself in his game and the way he plays. That shows me I can play in the Marquette system.

“I wouldn’t say I like Marquette just because of my dad (Faisal Abraham played at Marquette from 1993-97). The coaches and Coach (Shaka) Smart has been recruiting me heavily. Coach Dre (DeAndre Haynes), Coach (Neil) Berry they’ve all been talking to me and my parents. They’ve been recruiting me and getting to know my family. They’ve put in work, but things are still wide open.”

Abraham talks recruitment

“Right now, I got a visit set with UConn, that’s it,” Abraham said. “I’ll go there with my cousin (Patrick Ngongba) on June 12.”

UConn: “I like the overall feel I get from them. I’m excited to see the facilities and how the coaches and players interact with one another. The relationships they have over there. My relationship with Coach (Danny) Hurley is not as strong as it is with Marquette yet, but I feel like I’m going to get to know him more on the visit and learn more about the program and about him.”

“I’m also talking with Providence, Virginia, and Virginia Tech right now about visits,” Abraham said. “Those are the ones that are really trying to get a visit right now.”

Providence: “When Coach (Kim) English was at George Mason, I knew I wasn’t going to go there, but we still built that relationship. I did go over to George Mason a couple of times to see how they played and how they coached, and I like how he interacts with his players. I like how he coaches and how he talks with his players, and how he communicates with everyone. He is also really young. All of that makes me want to go up to Providence and see what it’s all about; see if he brings that type of culture to Providence.”

Virginia: “I really like the way Coach (Tony) Bennett and (Jason) Williford run their program. They know how to get everyone playing together and winning. They win. Even though it didn’t go the way they wanted it to in March Madness, they still got there. I’m excited to see how they’re going to do this season.”

Virginia Tech: “They just started talking to me a couple of months ago, so I don’t know as much about their program as the others yet. Coach JD Byers came in and started talking to me. I’ve just started to get to know him, but I love the way he talks to players, and he is really real with everything. They like my athleticism and my ability to shoot the ball and make shots. That is a big part of my game, and with him being able to see that even though my role sometimes didn’t show that, I feel like that too.”

In his words

“I’d like to commit before my high school season,” Isaiah Abraham said. “The plan right now is to sign early.

“Relationship is going to mean a lot to me. I want to have a good relationship with the coach. I want to be comfortable coming to them. Working on my game will be big. The opportunity for development, having access to the gym and training, and getting my body right. Most of all a good relationship with the players because those are who I will be spending the next few years with.

“Me and Pat (Isaiah Abraham’s first cousin Patrick Ngongba) have some of the same schools recruiting us, and we’re taking some visits together, but we aren’t trying to go to the same school or anything. It is all based on what happens. We’re both going through the process and if that happens, it happens. But it is not something we are meaning to do.”