Isaiah Kelly names an early top four
Atlanta, GA
Despite all of the attention and pub that is garnered by the Pace Academy program in recent years has been due to the play and production out of five-star center and Duke signee Wendell Carter, there is another prospering talent out of the Peach State program. Isaiah Kelly, a 6-foot-6 forward that brings versatility and scoring abilities to the floor, is beginning to see his college recruitment take form.
Running this past summer with the Atlanta Xpress 16-under bunch, Kelly impressed by way of his improved athleticism at the basket off of the hard drive, rebounding skills, and defensive progressions within the half-court setting. Now an upperclassmen alongside Carter at Pace Academy, Kelly continues to settle in and rework his game accordingly.
Capable of taking his man off the bounce with a fine first step, hitting in rhythm jumpers from beyond the 3-point arc, and rebounding the ball from out of his area on the offensive glass, Kelly put together a sturdy performance on Monday at the City of Palms Classic. Finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds, six of them coming on the weakside glass, Kelly gave his thoughts on his game. “My perimeter skills have really improved,” the 6-foot-6 forward said. “I just need some consistency with it and need to use my mid-range game more.”
As Kelly remains aggressive and shows progressions, expect for his recruitment to heat up. However, four schools have begun to stand out with the Pace product. “I probably talk the most with Princeton, Iowa State, Wisconsin and Xavier,” Kelly said, of which he has visited all four programs; he went to speak further on each.
Princeton
“The campus is beautiful. Coach Kerry (Kittles) is a really good dude and the coaching staff and team seem pretty cool.”
Iowa State
“I just like Georges Niang and how I sort of play like him and all of his intangibles. My visit was nice. They have a good campus and the gym is real nice. They had a fan day with all of the athletic teams and there was a lot of people and fans there.”
Wisconsin
“They’re pretty cool. I have gotten to know them for a long time. I have family in North Dakota and Minnesota.”
Xavier
“Coach (Mike) Pegues talks to me a lot. I went up there early last year. I liked it a lot.”
Kelly went on to say that all things remain neutral at the time being and that there is no decision looming. However, it does seem that three Midwest powers along with an Ivy bunch stand out with the prospering and versatile forward that is the next man up at Pace Academy.
