Lake Worth, Fla.–Koby Isaac knows the road to success isn’t always straight. There’s been roadblocks such as Covid and detours during a nomadic Junior College merry go round.
Now at Palm Beach State, in the same South Florida area where Isaac once flourished as a three-level scorer, creator, and a guy who sets a loud defensive tone with confrontational one on one defense during his prep year at Miami Triple Threat, Isaac has returned to original form.
Once a highly coveted recruit out of Atlanta, the 6-foot-4 Isaac scored 28 points, on the strength of five 3-pointers, during a win over a talented Indian River team.
Isaac had been averaging 14PPG over the previous weeks, as the program prepares for conference play in January.
“I think the coaches are looking for me to help my team in anyway possible. But mostly as a leader and scorer, especially since I’m one of the most college experienced guys on the team,” Isaac said.
“I’ve had some challenges along the way, just the ups and downs of it all. However, I feel it will simply make for a greater success story. It’s really just been about learning, learning this whole college experience and how to best fit into a Division-I program and have a lasting impact.”
While learning from the wounds of the past, Isaac says he’s “locked in” and treating this 2022-23 campaign as a do or die esque challenge.
“It’s not the coach’s fault,” Isaac said.. It’s not my Daddy’s fault. It’s on me. Do or die.”
Isaac, who is the cousin of former San Antonio Spurs guard Darun Hilliard, has transformed his game as Palm Beach State looks to revitalize a once prominent program that’s dealt with both pre Covid and post Covid budget cuts.
The intrigue in the bouncy 6-foot-4 Isaac is his ability to carve his way to the rim and finish in ambidextrous fashion through bigger guys.
Embracing contact, and utilizing effective moves to knife his way to the rim without requiring a lot of dribbles, has also been pivotal.
The Palm Beach County area of South Florida is known for a wide range of distractions, especially for a college kid.
Isaac, however, has subscribed to a strict regimen that includes documented workouts, practice, individual workouts, games, and his full academic slate.
He’s picked it up in the classroom and is now one of Palm Beach State’s top academic student athletes, boasting a 3.34 GPA.
“Last year I had some struggles, being in an unhealthy situation at my previous junior college (Southeastern CC in Iowa), no knock against them. It just wasn’t a good fit for me,” Isaac said.
“And I let my grades slip. It put me in a tough position, academically. That is 100% on me. Even Though I bounced back. The clock is now ticking. I feel like time is running out. I’ve got to put in the work and get to where I want to go.”
Being back in Florida, Isaac has been able to reconnect with some familiar faces. He recently communicated with Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton, the coach he developed a rapport with when FSU was recruiting him during his days at Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy.
He’s also in consistent contact with Conor Quigley, the head coach of Palm Beach Prep.
Isaac credits Quigley for helping nurture his talent during their time together at Triple Threat Prep, where Quigley was the head coach.
“Staying locked in with Coach Quigs really helped me on my journey and helped me bounce back” Isaac said.
“He empowered me to be a smarter and more poised player who could impact the game differently. Playing for him helped me be more of an IQ guy, not just someone who survived on talent or instinct.”
