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ACC Player of Year Isaiah Wong stays low key off the court, but on the court his play will help dictate how far Miami makes it in postseason

On3 photo -2by:Izubee Charles•03/09/23•

IzubeeCharles

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Isaiah Wong (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

After being named ACC Player of the Year, Miami Hurricanes guard Isaiah Wong, who is known for being a quiet and modest leader, celebrated in the most Isaiah Wong way possible. A simple dinner with his mother Lachelle and two brothers at TGI Fridays.

“I told my family, and we all celebrated and had a good time,” Wong said. “She was yelling, and she was yelling aggressively, saying, “That’s how you do it!” It was a good type of loud and aggressive loud.”  

The fourth-year junior became the second Hurricane to earn the award, joining Shane Larkin, who won Player of the Year during the 2012-2013 season after averaging team highs in points (15.9), assists (3.4), and steals (1.4) per game this year.

Wong attributes much of his success to his mother’s support off the court, despite his stellar showings on the court.

“We made a verbal commitment to what we need to do and improve,” Wong said. “My mom helped me throughout the season just talking to me and helping me mentally. I’ve been doing the work on the court, and it’s just been going up from there.”

Along with being named ACC Player of the Year, Wong also made the ACC First-Team for the first time in his career, but none of this nearly happened as Wong seriously contemplated whether to come back to the Hurricanes for his senior year or enter the NBA draft last offseason.

Well, it appears that choice was wise because Wong and the Hurricanes are looking as terrific as they have since he arrived on campus in 2019.

“I feel like I made a great decision to come back,” Wong said. “It was a smart decision to help myself as a player and get more stuff, more achievements, and build my resume. Being around players all the time and being around them, I always feel comfortable in Miami, and it’s a great place to be.”

Wong was not the only Hurricane to receive ACC honors; forwards Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier were named to the ACC’s second and third all-conference teams, respectively.

Miami was the only team in the league with a player on each of the first, second, and third teams, and Wong believes that this year’s team depth is what has contributed to their success.

“We all can go off any type of night or day,” Wong said. “If you’re trying to have a championship team, you need those types of players. We all can have a good day or be the best players on the team. With those key players and key pieces, we can go far with that.”

With the ACC and NCAA Tournaments coming up – starting with facing Wake Forest today – Wong and the Canes will spend the rest of the season away from the Wastco Center.

But he believes the trials and tribulations of the regular season have prepared them for what’s next.

“We’ve won some good ones and we’ve lost some,” Wong said. “With the crowd, it’s all on us, I feel like, and when we win away games, it just helps us build our confidence and helps us feel like we’re more at home.”

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