Recruiting Update: Isaiah Gilliam (2021 South Albany)

<p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="855937" first="Isaiah" last="Gilliam"]</strong> is back home. In the fall, the tough 6-foot-2, 200-pound power guard made the tough decision to head the prep school route and hooked up with R.O.N. Institute in Southern California for a few months. But Gilliam has returned to play his senior year with South Albany and he’s excited about the season ahead.</p> <p>Gilliam noted that a return to South Albany was needed in order to get his core classes settled for the NCAA clearinghouse, but also the opportunity to play on the Rebels with his younger brother DeShawn was a big factor why he decided to come home. While he didn’t finish things out with R.O.N. Institute (which currently still features former McNary standout Nate Meithof on its roster), he was grateful for the experience.</p> <p>"The prep school atmosphere was great," Gilliam said. "The competition was great and we played in the Grind Session which was crazy. The schedule was the hardest thing to get adjusted there. Here it’s online school and you have your own workout, but over there they had everything ready for you, workout, practice, food and nutrition and all that."</p> <p>Gilliam expanded on the experience playing on The Grind Session, of which they played in the Mini-Bubble in December. "It was tough definitely as there were a lot taller and more athletic players out there and there was a way faster pace," Gilliam said. "But I definitely got way more athletic and slimmed down a bit. My jumper is still getting there and I’m working on it every day, but my bounce came a little more and my legs and upper body got a lot stronger."</p> <p>In watching Gilliam play with R.O.N. it’s clear he’s added more strength to his frame and that has improved his already great ability to get past defenders into the lane and finish plays while absorbing contact. His perimeter shooting has also shown improvement. Gilliam notes that he’s been in contact with Western Oregon a lot and other JC programs such as Casper College, Linn-Benton, Clackamas, and Centralia have all been reaching out.</p> <p>"I’m not really weighing anything right now as I’m trying to get my name out there a little more," Gilliam said. "Hopefully I’ll get some offers here playing with Deep III and then I’ll be able to weigh my options a little more."</p> <p>Gilliam will play his first tournament with Deep III this upcoming weekend at the Hoopsource Presidents Day Showcase down in Phoenix. He’s excited about hitting the floor with his new teammates. "Just from two practices it’s a competitive nature here and a lot of positive energy, Gilliam said. "I’m excited to help lead the team and hopefully get some good wins."</p> <p>Gilliam currently ranks as the #14 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2021 rankings.</p>