Rivals.com will be dropping its initial rankings for the 2025 class in late August and while the list is far from finished, there are a few no-brainers who will definitely be toward the top. One of those is 6-foot-5 guard Isiah Harwell, who has already caught the attention of a lot of top programs from around the country as a rising sophomore.
It’s very early in his recruitment, but Harwell sat down with Rivals to go over some of the top schools already in pursuit.
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2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Top 125
Transfer Portal: Latest news
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IN HIS OWN WORDS
Programs recruiting him the hardest: “Gonzaga, Kentucky, UNLV, North Carolina and UCLA.”
Gonzaga: “One of the coaches, Brian Michaelson, used to recruit my brother and he was really cool with him and stuff. That’s just a cool thing to me. They’re cool, they really don’t change you, they just let you play and let you fit into the system.”
Kentucky: “Kentucky’s just a strong place defensive-wise, and it’s really just a hard place for people to beat. They play together. I talk to coach Orlando (Antigua).”
UNLV: “I really haven’t seen them play that much, so I don’t know too much about them. I mainly talk to the coach that just came from Texas Tech, Barret Peery. He likes the way I play and how good of a kid that I am and stuff, and how I’d fit into the system.”
North Carolina: “UNC, I like how they play and I like the coach that used to be there and how competitive they were.”
UCLA: “I like that they’re always in the game no matter what and how in tune they are with each other.”
Dream schools growing up: “My dream schools were North Carolina and Duke.”
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RIVALS' REACTION
Harwell showed a tremendous all-around skillset this summer playing for the Utah Prospects on the 3SSB Circuit. He’s fundamentally sound and was consistent when operating in the mid-range.
Outside of scoring, he’s got a great build for his size and is only going to continue to get stronger. He rebounds the ball well for his position and is also a comfortable ball handler.
He should have his pick of whatever school he wants in a couple of years.
