Glenelg Country School, located in Howard County, Maryland, has traditionally been better known for its academics than anything else. The college prep school, however, is now garnering attention in basketball circles, and a significant amount of that attention is due to 6'7 junior Isaiah Miles. Earlier today, I had the opportunity to speak with Glenelg assistant coach Geoff Reed about his talented junior forward.
The Baltimore Sun's Matt Bracken, in his article on Miles (here),detailed the attention that he received as an 8th grader making his high school decision. As an 8th grader, Isaiah already had a buzz, and surprised many when he selected to play his high school ball at a school known more for academics, instead of attending one of the Class A powers in the Baltimore area. According to his coach, Isaiah selected Glenelg due to the school's academic reputation and the fact that he could start there on varsity as a freshman.
Since that high school decision, a few years have passed, and the high school junior continues making a name for himself at Glenelg. At the moment, Isaiah stands between 6'7 and 6'8, and weighs in at right around 210 pounds. He has come a long way since entering Glenelg as an extremely lanky freshman. Coach Reed explained that Isaiah takes his sessions in the gym seriously, and is aware that he needs to continue to bulk up in order to reach his potential.
This past season, Glenelg had their best season in school history, going 27-4. With their recent success, they are ready to upgrade to Class A next year, joining traditional powerhouses like Calvert Hall and Saint Frances Academy. While the schedule will certainly be much tougher next year, Glenelg only graduates one senior this year, so they will be ready to face off against their new Class A opponents.
For Glenelg, Isaiah predominately plays the role of a face-up 4. In that role, he is able to operate frequently in the pick-and-pop. This past season, Isaiah connected on a team-leading 46 three-pointers on an impressive 41%. When asked where Isaiah projected at the college level, Reed said that coaches want to utilize his ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter. In order to play fully on the wing in college, Isaiah will need to continue improving his ball-handling skills, which have already come a long way over recent months.
This summer, Isaiah is running with the famed Baltimore Elite program. He has already put in a number of impressive performances this summer, including 15 points in a winning effort over Davon Reed and Rondae Jefferson's Philadelphia-based Team Final.
As would be expected, a number of schools are actively pursuing Isaiah. According to his coach, those schools include South Florida, James Madison, Towson, Saint Joseph's, UMass, Xavier, and West Virginia. Most of his contact with James Madison has been with the school's assistant coaches, and West Virginia sent an assistant to Glenelg this past season to check him out. As a result, Isaiah was invited to West Virginia's upcoming Elite Camp. George Washington was also looking at Isaiah, but that is now up in the air due to the recent firing of head coach Karl Hobbs.
According to Reed, Saint Joseph's is the school most actively recruiting Isaiah at the moment. The point-person for the recruitment has been SJU assistant coach Dave Duda. Over the recent open contact period, SJU head coach Phil Martelli also made several trips down to Maryland to watch Isaiah work out. The visits from the head coach had a positive impact on Miles, who was impressed by the coach's visits.
At the moment, Isaiah is nowhere near ready to make a college decision. When looking at colleges, it should come as no surprise that academics are of great importance. Coach Reed also noted that Isaiah is from a close-knot family, so location could possibly play a role in his ultimate selection. With a strong start to the spring AAU season, interest in Isaiah is likely to only increase. Check back here throughout the summer for updates on Isaiah's play and recruitment.
Photo of Isaiah Miles above courtesy of Maryland.247sports.com
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