When Jim Larrañaga started recruiting Isaiah Wong, he saw a skinny guard getting recruited by some other major programs like UConn and Illinois, but the New Jersey native quickly rose up the Miami Hurricanes’ recruiting board thanks in large part to his personality.
“He was like 6-2, 162 pounds, but he could score,” Larrañaga said. “In high school, he led his team in scoring. In AAU ball, he was a tremendous scorer, and we just felt he had a lot of potential. He’s a very good athlete and a hard worker. I love guys who really work hard, who are going to spend a lot of time in the gym, kind of like gym rats. And in Isaiah’s case, he was in the gym, working on his game and just kept getting better and better.”
Four years later, Wong leaves Miami as one of the most decorated players in program history, departing UM to try his luck in the NBA draft.
“It was a tough decision, coming back or going to the NBA,” Wong said. “But I feel like for me, I’ve got to follow my dreams and go to the NBA. At the end of the day, the NBA is the main dream.”
In the previous two offseasons, Wong entered the draft while retaining his eligibility. But the four-year Miami standout, who announced his plans to turn pro on Monday, said he hired WME Agency to represent him and that there was “no chance” he returns to UM next year.
Wong leaves the Hurricanes after leading the team to two of the most successful seasons in program history. After a breakout sophomore year in 2020-21, during which he scored a career-best 17.1 points per game, he returned to Miami for the 2021-22 season and scored 15.3 points per game as UM reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.
After testing the NBA draft waters in the offseason, Wong returned again for his fourth college season and averaged 16.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals, earning ACC Player of the Year honors. The Hurricanes made the Final Four for the first time ever but fell to eventual national champion UConn.
Wong racked up 1,866 points in his four seasons with the Hurricanes, which ranks fourth all-time in program history. He averaged 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists over his career.
“He’s certainly one of the greatest basketball players of all time in University of Miami history,” Larrañaga said. “I think if you asked me, it’s about his tremendous, consistent work ethic. I think he set a standard for everybody to emulate. He’s just a really hard-working guy. He’s never had a bad-attitude day or a bad work-ethic day. He’s always come. He’s kind of a quiet leader but he just leads by example, and I think he’s set the tone for us hopefully for many years to come.”
Wong is projected to be a likely second-round pick and currently ranks 71st in ESPN’s draft rankings. But Larrañaga said the team that picks him will be getting a quality, versatile player.
“I think when the NBA scouts that I’ve talked to look at him, they really see a guy who’s a high-octane scorer who really scored at the college level very well,” “I know in some of his workouts in previous years, they’ve encouraged him to expand his range, which he’s done. So he’s now, I think, a very good three-point shooter.
“I think the thing he’ll need to do is be able to play both the point and the two and be able to guard both one and twos, and I think he’s going to be able to do that. … If he gets an opportunity to showcase his talents and what he can do, I think he’ll take advantage of that.”
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