OSU Basketball: Assessing the Strengths of 2018 Signee Isaac Likekele

Initially a Fresno State commit, Isaac Likekele shifted his sights toward a pair of Big 12 schools after the Bulldogs’ coach Rodney Terry left for a job at UTEP.

Oklahoma State and Texas Tech were the top teams remaining, and based on this quote from a post on 247sports.com, Mike Boynton’s strength as a recruiter continues to show.

“Coach Boynton is a very young coach. I feel like I have a great relationship with Coach Boynton. Also, he just got his contract renewed so he’s obviously going to be there for quite some time. Stillwater seems like a great atmosphere. I have watched plenty of games and that’s a great place to play.”

Likekele is a 6-foot-4, 205 pound point guard from Mansfield, Texas. 247sports.com’s rankings have Likekele as a top-150 recruit, and he ranks 24th among point guards.

According to the aforementioned post, Likekele averaged 19 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists per game during his senior season. His accolades include Whataburger Tournament MVP, Dallas Morning News’ First-Team All-Area and District 10-5A MVP.

So what can Likekele do on the court? Based on the clips below, he’s not that explosive vertically. However, he’s bigger and stronger than most players at his position, and he has a quick first step when attacking the basket. He seems to have good finishing skills around the rim, and because of his strength and size, he can absorb contact and still connect on layups.

If he shows he can consistently beat his man off the dribble, three-point shooting will improve as the defense will be forced to rotate, allowing for a pass to an open shooter in the corner or on the wing. While on the topic of three-point shooting, he showed off his shot in the pair of highlight videos below.

It’s apparent Likekele plays with a lot of enthusiasm and swagger, which will be more than embraced when he starts contributing to the Cowboys’ success in Gallagher-Iba Arena.