NEW YORK — All three Kentucky signees in the Jordan Brand Classic are playing together on the East Team and so far Isaiah Briscoe is impressed by his future teammates.
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The 6-foot-3 Roselle (N.J.) Catholic point guard has been most intrigued by 7-footer Skal Labissiere, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. During Thursday’s practice, Labissiere flashed a left-handed hook shot over Michigan State-bound Caleb Swanigan with personnel from all 30 NBA teams watching.
“I think Skal’s a great player,”
Briscoe told SNY.tv.
“I really mean that. I haven’t seen him play in a while but I mean Skal, I’m very excited to play with him next year.”
He added:
“He’s just so versatile. He can shoot, he’s just good. He’s better than anything I’ve ever seen in our class.”
“A little bit, on and off the court,”
Charles Matthews, the 6-6 Kentucky-bound wing from Chicago (IL) St. Rita, sat out Thursday’s practice because he was sore after taking a bad foul on Wednesday, but Briscoe liked what he saw on Wednesday.
“His length, he’s very versatile, too, he can jump,”
“I can’t wait to get out there and play with Charles, Skal and Tyler [Ulis] at Kentucky, I just can’t wait.”
Briscoe is looking forward to playing at Kentucky and didn’t want to imagine how things might have been different had he ended up at St. John’s.
“Chris Mullin’s got the job, great for him,”
“That doesn’t affect me.”
Meantime, Briscoe’s own play has impressed West head coach Kevin Boyle, who knows Briscoe well from his days coaching St. Patrick in New Jersey.
“I think Isaiah Briscoe is terrific,” Boyle told SNY.tv. “He gets to the rim, he’s become such a good passer. When he’s driving, his vision, his feel for where his teammates are where people are helping on him is off the charts.”
It’s been a busy few weeks for Briscoe. After leading Roselle Catholic to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions title under head coach Dave Boff, who attended Jordan practice Thursday, Briscoe participated in the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Nike Hoop Summit and now the Jordan Classic.
Briscoe put on a show to finish his regular season up, Clearly proving why he is the best guard in America.
