Prospect Spotlight: Isaiah Paige (2018)
After seeing him play for the first time, I can tell that Ocala-Meadowbrook senior Isaiah Paige is one of the most passionate student-athletes in the area.
In last night’s game vs. Meadowbrook, he showed an immense amount of energy from the opening tip. The hustle couldn’t be ignored. The next area of his game that I was pondering? “Can he create his own shot?”. It was a question that received an answer in the second quarter.
Paige exploded from beyond-the-arc, splashing four triples and scoring 15 of the team’s 17 total points in the period. Coming off of the pick, Paige can stop-and-pop with the best of them. One of the treys appeared to be launched from NBA-range. Whether it be from the wing, the corner, or the top-of-the-key, Paige proved he could score from all angles.
In the fourth, we saw a different, more penetration-focused type of Paige.
The game was getting tight. Cornerstone had trimmed their deficit down to four. Although, they couldn’t figure out how to stop fouling in the post. Paige took this as an opportunity to make sure that drove through the lane on every opportunity he could. As a result, Paige went 8/10 from the line and helped secure the win.
As a whole, Paige showed that he’s one of the most dependable Mustangs with the ball in his hands. Even though he can get his own shot off, his head is always up, looking for open teammates. When they score, he celebrated more than any other teammate of theirs—which is refreshing to see.
Should the Mustangs keep Paige as a focal point, I imagine they’ll have a lot of success within their own schedule. They’re atop their district, at the moment. Let’s see if Paige can help keep them there.