Isaiah Wong Hires Agent, Prepares For NBA Draft
Isaiah Wong will arguably go down as one of the best players in Miami's basketball history. The 6-foot-4 guard leaves the program fourth on the all-time career scoring list (1,866) and just the third player to be recognized as a conference player of the year. His 598 total points ranked ninth-most in a season by a Hurricane. He confirmed Tuesday that there is no chance of him returning to UM.
"I signed with an agent," Wong said in zoom conference post his NBA decision. "There's no chance of me coming back to Miami and I'm just going to go from there and just go working out with NBA teams and see where that goes."
Wong signed with WME Basketball and will be represented by agent Bill Duffy. Duffy represents NBA superstar Luka Doncic and former Miami Heat players Josh Richardson and Goran Dragic.
Wong was named the ACC Player of the Year after averaging 16.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.4 steals on 38.4% shooting from the field. He ranked 13th in the country in minutes (1,237) and third in the conference in points (598).
Wong previously tested the pre-draft process last year before ultimately deciding to return to school. He is currently not projected to be drafted this year, but will likely have the opportunity to showcase himself in the draft combine next month in Chicago, Illinois. Head Coach Jim Larranaga weighed in on how he sees Wong on the next level:
"The NBA scouts that I've talked to look at him, they really see a guy who is a high-octane scorer. Who really scored at a college level very well. I know some of his workouts in previous years encouraged him to expand his range which he's done. Now I think he's 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 two. I think he's going to be able to do that. In all cases, it's opportunity to play and in Isaiah's case, if he gets an opportunity to showcase his talents and what he can do, I think he'll take advantage of that. But it's got to be with the right team. It's hard enough to make the NBA, but to really fit in and earn a spot in the rotation is really difficult, but we wish him nothing but the best. He deserves all the success that he'll enjoy in the future."
Wong has a slight chance of being drafted in the late second round but may go undrafted.
"I feel like it was a very difficult decision for me and I feel like for the Miami fans. It was a tough decision coming back or going to the NBA, but I feel like for me, I got to follow my dreams and go to the NBA. At the end of the day, the NBA is the main dream...I'm good with where I'm at with the Miami fans and all that, but I feel I just got to chase more."
Talk with Miami fans on Canes Talk, Inside Canes Hoops, and Canes on the Diamond
• Subscribe to the Storm Tracker Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and Spotify
• Subscribe to the Canes County YouTube Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @Canes_County, @BenjaminRivals, @TheCribSouthFLA, @AnthonyYero1, and @MichaelYero
• Follow us on Instagram: @Canes.County
Follow us on Facebook