After March Madness success, Miami’s Isaiah Wong returns with professional aspirations
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Isaiah Wong’s 15 points and four rebounds led Miami to a convincing 76-65 win over Notre Dame on Dec. 30, extending the Hurricanes’ undefeated start to Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Wong’s performance etched his name into the record books as a 1,500-point scorer for Miami. He also surpassed the program record with 889 ACC points.
This season, Wong has averaged 17.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while also leading Miami to a perfect record in December. The Hurricanes enjoyed a nine-game win streak from late November to the end of December, and currently rank No. 16 in the AP Top 25 poll.
Wong, a New Jersey native, played prep basketball at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville during his freshman and sophomore years. In his junior year, Wong transferred to Monsignor Bonner High School (Philadelphia), playing for then-head coach Kevin Funston. While at Monsignor Bonner, the combo-guard saw his statistics rise dramatically and finished his high school career averaging 22.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
During his two years coaching Wong, Funston described his in-game demeanor as similar to Kawhi Leonard — the two are both calm, versatile offensive players who play tenacious defense.
“(Wong) was the most dominant player in all facets,” Funston said.
Competing in Philadelphia’s Catholic League, Wong earned two consecutive league MVPs and played an integral part in Monsignor Bonner’s road to a title.
City of Basketball Love’s chief editor Josh Verlin, who has covered Philadelphia high school basketball for a decade, raved about the D-I-level talent that the Catholic League holds.
“(Wong) was a dynamo,” Verlin said. “(Monsignor Bonner was) exceptionally good because he was there.”
Wong was an unsigned, four-star recruit, but Miami’s head coach, Jim Larrañaga, sought a guard that could complement his key players and step up when needed.
After a quiet freshman season, Wong worked with coaches to build muscle and improve his ball-handling and passing. In his first year with the Hurricanes, Wong weighed in at just 165 pounds and struggled to adapt to the physicality of the college game.
Now, Wong weighs 184 pounds and has evolved into Miami’s best player.
“He’s in the gym constantly.” Larrañaga said. “He’s a constant competitor. He just loves to compete and he’s having a sensational, All-Conference season again.”
Last season, Wong secured his position as a secondary scorer behind Kameron McGusty. His impact on the offensive end helped Miami earn a spot in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Wong poured in 22 points against No. 7-seeded USC in the Round of 64 as the Hurricanes pulled off an upset.
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He followed up a couple of days later with a 21-point onslaught against No. 2 Auburn in a 79-61 victory, which included a vicious poster dunk over future NBA lottery pick Jabari Smith. Toward the dying embers of the first half, with the Hurricanes holding a slender four-point lead, Wong split a double team and rose up to flush the ball over the 6-foot-11 Smith.
Progressing into a showdown with No. 11 Iowa State in the Sweet 16, Miami defeated the Cyclones to reach its first Elite 8 in program history. The Hurricanes would eventually see their Cinderella run halted by the eventual national champions, Kansas.
Following Wong’s breakout in the tournament, he declared for the NBA draft twice before withdrawing and returning to Coral Gables. He told ESPN that hearing teams discuss his shortcomings and what he needed to improve on determined his decision to go back to Miami, hoping to improve his game with an extra year under Larrañaga.
This season, Miami is without McGusty, Charlie Moore and several other essential pieces from last year. But Wong and the Hurricanes have added sophomore shooting guard Nijel Pack, who transferred in from Kansas State.
“(Wong) is somebody on the team that we need, especially when he has a really good game. I don’t think we lost when he’s playing really well.” Pack said.
