Isaiah Whitehead and his mother, Ericka Rambert, have a special relationship. Rarely are they not together. Some describe him as a “mama’s boy.”
But recently, he came to doubt her somewhat.
Rambert had just gotten off the phone with a North Carolina assistant coach and told Whitehead the good news – the ACC school had extended a scholarship offer. Initally, he didn’t believe her.
“I asked to see the coach’s number,” Whitehead said, smiling. “I know they have a great program. A lot ot [NBA] players came out of there like Michael Jordan, VInce Carter. I’m real excited.”
The Tar Heels aren’t the only ones intrigued by the talented freshman. St. John’s, USC, Pittsburgh and Syracuse have done the same. St. John’s coach Steve Lavin has spoken with Rambert a few times to express his admiration for the 6-foot-4 Whitehead’s versatile skill set and Syracuse associate head coach Mike Hopkins did the same recently, Whitehead’s uncle, Warren Rambert said.
“I like his style a lot,” Warren Rambert said of Lavin. “He’s the kind of coach the kids seem to respect.”
Though the offers are telling, they aren’t binding and Whitehead doesn’t plan to commit to a school until the summer after his junior year at the earliest anyway. An All-City third team selection by The Post who helped Lincoln reach the PSAL Class AA city title game, he is far more concerned with having a solid AAU season in preparation for his sophomore year.
“It makes me feel good, but I know I still have to keep working and I can get some more schools,” said Whitehead, who led the Juice All-Stars to a 86-63 win over Team Albany in the famed iS8 Nike Spring League with 25 points on Sunday.
He is playing up with the Juice All-Stars’ 17-and-under team, will be playing at Rumble in the Bronx in June and going to showcase tournaments in Las Vegas, Texas and North Carolina during the summer.
“It’s going to help him for next year,” Lincoln coach Dwayne (Tiny) Morton said .”He’s going to have to carry the team. He’s the only starter coming back.”
In June, Whitehead will be in Colorado Spring, Colo., on June 10-18 for the USA Basketball Men’s Developmental National Team tryouts. He is among 24 of the nation’s top 16-and-under basketball standouts invited to tryouts by a national committee. If selected to be part of the 12-man roster, he will head to Mexico for the 2011 FIBA Americas U-16 Championships, where the top three teams will qualify for the 2012 FIBA U-17 World Championship in Lithuania.
“He’s on the right track., he just has to stay grounded, which is going to be tough,” Morton said. “It’s kind of hard for a kid being picked to do something.”
So far, so good.