Prospect Spotlight: Isaiah Gross (2019)
The Class 4A bracket always seems to be the most exciting when it comes to the MPSSAA State Tournament. Last year was no different. For years now, Eleanor Roosevelt has been a constant contender. Despite coming up short to Bladensburg, who eventually lost to Perry Hall in the state championship, they still put together an impressive season all together.
Next season, Roosevelt will once again be a very strong contender for the state title. Rising senior Isaiah Gross is a big reason why. Gross has been an early standout in the Capitol Hoops Summer League that is being held at DeMatha. I was in attendance this past Saturday as Gross recorded 13 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting on the way to a 86-38 blowout win. He followed the next day with a 31-point performance in another victory.
“We never want to have the feeling that we had last year ever again,” Gross told Prep Hoops when referring to the mindset of the team for next season. “Since me and Cam [Brown] are both seniors now, we want to do all we can to never experience that ever again.”
The Raiders bring back some core players from last season’s team along with a few new talents that will help make up for the seniors they lost from last season. Still, Gross knows it’s a process that cannot be rushed and it all starts in summer league.
“One of my goals for this month is just to create a strong bond with the guys,” Gross said. “When it comes to individual goals, I just want to stay in the gym and work on my craft as much as I can. Since the spring started, I feel like I’ve improved on my jumpshot. Even though sometimes it can be inconsistent, I’m going to keep improving on it. Also my ball handling, because I’ve become better at finishing off the dribble being more effective with each move that I make.”
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Gross doesn’t waste time when he gets the ball. The good thing is that he dribbles for profit. If he puts it on the floor, he’s looking to attack the basket, but if the defense rotates, he has the vision to find the open teammate as well. As he stated, his jumpshot is still a work in progress, but if he can develop some consistency it’ll make him that much tougher of a guard.
The 6-foot-4 guard holds zero offers currently, but is hearing from Trinity, Hofstra, Chesnut Hill, Radford and Robert Morris. Gross has a 3.3 GPA with the intention of majoring in marine biology when he gets to college.
What can a program expect to get with Gross?
“Just a hardworking kid both on and off the court. I’m balanced to where I’m even keeled, but I also know when to get down to business when it calls,” Gross said confidently.
Isaiah is ranked by Prep Hoops as a top-50 player in his class. Click here to view Maryland’s full list of rankings for the class of 2019.