If you follow basketball on social media you know Isaak Hayes. Boasting 91,200 followers on Instagram he is considered a phenom. Search his name and you will come across hundreds of clips scoring points, losing defenders, and playing with a chip on his shoulder.
But is it hype?
It had been years since I’ve seen him play and his development had piqued my interest. So on a random week night I went to go watch him play at Mansfield Lake Ridge’s summer league.
From the outset, Hayes was having his way, setting his teammates up for easy scores and hitting threes from the parking lot. He’s one of the top players in his class and a legit prospect.
“Social media is a good and bad thing, said Hayes. Some people question if I’m good or is it hype because of the media. When they come see me play and they see I’m like that they actually start liking my social media and it helps me grow my brand, but I have to prove my point to the older generation that I can really hoop.”
And hoop he can. In the era where everyone is a videographer, it’s easy to believe your own hype but Hayes is certain of one thing, his love for the game.
“Basketball means everything to me, that’s all I know, said Hayes. I have an older brother who was a player, he’s 24 now, and I was always around him. But my family is competitive, you don’t want to lose to anyone.”
And that love for the game combined with his competitiveness has turned the former 40 point scoring nine year old into a rising high school sophomore earning the attention of some of the country’s best programs. Kansas St., Jackson St., and California-Bakersfield have all offered him scholarships with more on the way.
He’s an unselfish guard with a natural feel for the game but you cannot leave him open and even when he’s covered your in danger of points being dropped on you. “I’m a scoring PG but I lead the team in assists most of the time, but I can really score,” said Hayes. “Scoring is natural for me. I always played at the park against older players and let’s be real at the park you gotta get buckets.” He’s right, the most natural place to learn the game is against older players at the “win or get off” park. But he takes it even further in developing his game.
“We have high school summer workouts from 9 AM-12 PM. I get there at 8, stretch and and get shots up before most show up. We have open gym from 12 PM-1 PM and then I leave there to workout everyday from 1-3. I stay in the gym. I go home and rest for a bit, then I’m back in the gym from 6-9 pm,” said Hayes.
But offense isn’t the only thing that matters. “Defense means a lot to me too, I’m not going to allow people to just go at me, it’s personal.”
You can see why he’s on the radar of college coaches from all over the country. A point guard from the old guard, a concrete warrior, with that new school flare.
Currently playing grassroots basketball for Texas Impact 4:13 on the Under Armour circuit, Hayes has lead his team to only one loss while playing up on the 16-under level. “Summer has been good. We lost one game on the UA circuit and I’m playing up so I’m getting better, learning how to lead a team,” said Hayes. “Making your teammates feel appreciated is very important. You have to make people feel appreciated.”
The Impact head to Georgia and Chicago to close out the live period and then it’s off to high school season at well known Texas high school program, North Crowley.
I asked Isaak what he looked forward to most during high school and he said, “State and District championships are our goal of course. We lost 8-9 seniors but this season is all about showing people that Crowley basketball is a winning culture, we really do this.”
It’s hard to say whether social media has benefited or hurt today’s hooper but one thing is for sure when it comes to Isaak Hayes, he works for it all and loves to prove people wrong.
