A Closer Look: Class of 2024 Small Forward Isaiah Abraham
Prospect: Isaiah Abraham
Position: Wing
Height: 6’7
High School: St Paul VI (Chantilly, Virginia)
AAU Program: Team Takeover
Class: 2024
Overview: Fresh off of a receiving its first commitment in the class of 2024 in Baltimore point guard Daquan Davis, Kim English and his staff are now deeply entrenched in a recruiting battle for Isaiah Abraham, a 6’7 small forward who plays for both an elite high school and AAU program.
Abraham told Joe Tipton of On3.com that he has narrowed his college choices to four: Providence, Marquette, Connecticut and Virginia Tech. Abraham sits pretty comfortably in most recruiting services’ top 100 — 71 on 247 Sports, 96 on On3.com, 69 on Rivals — thanks to a well-rounded game that scouts have praised for his defensive upside, ideal size, ability to get off the floor, and shot-making ability from distance.
This would be a statement commitment for the Providence staff, with UConn coming off of a national title and Abraham’s father having played for Marquette in the 1990s. Both UConn and Marquette have been recruiting Abraham for well over a year, but the PC staff isn’t new to him. Abraham visited George Mason when English was the head coach there, and was on Providence’s campus last week.
“When Coach English was at George Mason, I knew I wasn’t going to go there, but we still built that relationship. I did go over to George Mason a couple of times to see how they played and how they coached, and I like how he interacts with his players,” Abraham told On3.com. “I like how he coaches and how he talks with his players, and how he communicates with everyone.”
“I love Kim English as a coach,” Abraham said to 247 Sports in January. “He talked about how his program could be impactful for my development and the next level. It was a great experience at their school. I got to see the facilities and I got to know their coaching staff.”
Abraham played up at level for Team Takeover’s 17U team last summer, and then transferred to St. Paul VI in Virginia (PVI), one of the top programs in the nation. That PVI team spent most of the season ranked in the top five nationally by MaxPreps, and included senior Maryland commit DeShawn Harris-Smith, as well as 2024 classmates Darren Harris (Duke), Ben Hammond (recent URI commit), and PC frontcourt targets Garrett Sundra and Patrick Ngongba. Ngongba is Abraham’s cousin, and has blown up this spring and summer. Abraham has been quoted as saying Ngongba is more of a brother to him than a cousin.
What they are saying about him: Jamie Shaw of On3.com has a positive scouting report of Abraham: “Isaiah Abraham is an explosive wing. He has great measurables with long arms and good positional size. At his core, Abraham is a shot-maker. He has touch, range, and confidence from anywhere on the floor. He is going to have to shore up his footwork and balance, which will help with his shot selection and shot-making. Abraham is able to attack the rim in straight lines and finish well above the rim in transition. He can get to his spots off one and two dribble pull-ups. Abraham has the upside, both physically and athletically, to be a solid team defender; there is a toughness in there… Abraham’s father, Faisal Abraham, played at Marquette, and his aunt Tajama Abraham Ngongba played at George Washington.”
The Bottom Line: With the potential departure of Bryce Hopkins to the NBA next spring, Providence could have a fairly significant opportunity awaiting Abraham during his freshman season. Virginia Tech is a more recent entry into his recruitment, while he has stated the Marquette head coach Shaka Smart is going after him hard. Abraham will wrap up EYBL play with Team Takeover in the next ten days, and said that he will likely look to make a commitment shortly thereafter.
It’s looking like Connecticut will be tough to overcome in this recruitment, as they are starting to receive “crystal ball” predictions to UConn from more than one writer.