John Isaac didn’t waste any time with his college decision.
The Pickering High School shooting guard committed to LSU on March 9, 2009, and hasn’t looked back.
“I’ve always wanted to be a Tiger,” said Isaac, who committed early during his sophomore season. “I just went ahead and did it then so I can get all that stuff out the way.”
The Leesville native averaged 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and was named First Team All-District 4-2A his sophomore year.
He recorded 20 double-doubles in 33 games and four triple-doubles that season, which excited coaches early on about the young athlete’s future.
“With guys like John, it’s not a hard evaluation,” said LSU coach Trent Johnson. “At that time we thought there was no question he had the chance to be a special player.”
Interest began pouring in for Isaac from schools across the country like Texas, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Clemson, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Kansas, but Isaac chose to stay close to home.
“LSU was always the school he wanted to go to, and LSU is where I wanted him,” said Isaac’s mother, Delilah. “He’s happy, and I’m happy.”
But his bright future took a dark turn. Isaac tweaked his knee in the summer of 2009, making a move to the basket while playing for the Shreveport-based Louisiana Select AAU team in Orlando, Fla.
The 6-foot-4-inch, 210-pounder underwent surgery in September of 2009 and again in August to repair a torn ACL.
“You hate to see young people get surgeries … but we were very supportive,” Johnson said. “I don’t back away from my commitment to young men, and he showed a lot of toughness coming back after surgery.”
Isaac said Johnson and his staff were supportive during recovery and never lost faith in his ability.
“He gave me a call the next day and told me ‘It doesn’t matter, we’re still going to be interested in you, and we still want you to be a Tiger,'” Isaac said. “I felt really good about that.”
Isaac said he got out of the hospital and hit the ground running with his rehab.
Eddie Thomas, who has coached Isaac since middle school, complimented Isaac’s work ethic and said he never questioned the future Tiger’s commitment and dedication to the recovery process.
“He’s very committed,” Thomas said. “I’ve come up here on the weekends and opened the weight room up for him many times.”
Isaac’s hard work is paying off. Not only has he been a starter on the school’s varsity team since seventh grade, but in his junior season Isaac earned a first-string job on the defensive line of the Red Devil football team.
“Last year, playing [basketball] without him, it was difficult,” said Thomas, who is also an assistant coach for the Pickering football team. “I did try to talk him out of [playing football], but Coach Johnson was all for it. He expressed that he likes him to play as many sports as he [can].”
Isaac is only playing one sport under Johnson, who called his future pupil “exactly what we need.”
Isaac signed with LSU in November, along with forward Johnny O’Bryant.
O’Bryant committed to LSU on Oct.14.
 
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Contact Mark Clements at
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