While many of the nation’s top prospects were in Las Vegas for the LeBron James Skills Academy, Isaiah Whitehead was in Harlem.
There weren’t NBA stars overseeing the action and Whitehead didn’t go through any drills.
He was getting a different kind of training Sunday night in the Tri-State Classic unlimited league. He was pushed around by far stronger, older opponents – many of them former college stars who have played professionally – he had his shot blocked, his dribble taken away and some in the crowd jeered him on occasion.
Basically, it was just what Whitehead had in mind when he opted to play in unlimited leagues this summer.
“In high school, I can take plays off, I can’t do that here,” said Whitehead, one of the country’s top rising juniors who has a slew of top Division I schools after him, such as Syracuse, St. John’s, Rutgers, Connecticut and Arizona. “It’s getting me in shape against all these guys.”
A 6-foot-4 shooting guard, Whitehead has already proven he belongs on the city’s streetball circuit. He scored 45 points at Dyckman, pumped in 30 on Sunday night for Man-Up and has thrived at the East New York Memorial Classic at Gersh Park in Brooklyn. He’s already been given nicknames in each league, “The Prominent One” at Dyckman and “IQ” at Tri-State.
He prefers “IQ”
“It shows I can do it all and I know the game,” Whitehead said.
He didn’t back down on Sunday despite a sluggish start. He torched the opposition from the perimeter and was explosive getting to the rim in transition. He made an impression – at the final horn of his team’s narrow loss Whitehead was swarmed by fans like he was a celebrity. His teammates approached him, making sure he would return.
“He’s got a bright future,” said former St. John’s guard Malik Boothe, who played alongside Whitehead on Sunday. “He’s got a lot of confidence in himself. That will take him a long way.”
Kareem Reid, who faced Whitehead Sunday night, knows what he is going through. Reid played in unlimited leagues when he attended St. Raymond years ago and he credited it with helping him get ready for Division I basketball at Arkansas.
“It was a great benefit, playing against great streetball players before me,” Reid said. “You get a chance to face guys who were in the NBA, who were All-Americans. It’s great preparation.”
Whtiehead’s mother, Ericka Rambert, suggested the idea to him because she felt it would help him get stronger and regain his swagger. He was unsure initially, before realizing quickly it wasn’t too different from facing players his age, only the opposition wasn’t quite as fast and much stronger.
If anything, Whitehead said, he feels more at ease in unlimited. He doesn’t have a name he needs to protect; he’s out to make a name for himself and there isn’t a bull’s-eye on his back.
“My confidence is going up and up every time I [play unlimited],” he said.