Arkansas’ lone freshman starter is no average Joe
FAYETTEVILLE — Seldom it seems does a white-collar 3-point shooting guard play in a blue-collar package.
But Isaiah Joe, the Arkansas Razorbacks’ slender 6-5, 167-pound freshman from Fort Smith Northside plays so blue-collar he ought to bring a lunch pail. He opened his college career by hitting 5 of 8 treys against Texas (5-1) at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas.
Joe and 6-8 sophomore forward Gabe Osabuohien continually frustrated UT-Arlington (3-4) by positioning themselves to take charges. Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson praised their contributions to a 78-60 victory at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
“I was so proud of our guys the other night,” Anderson said Monday. “I think we had six or seven charges taken. Three by Gabe and three by Isaiah Joe. That becomes contagious.”
During Thursday’s press conference with the Razorbacks (4-1) preparing to host the Florida International Panthers (7-1) Saturday
night at Bud Walton, Anderson was asked if he was surprised by Joe’s willingness to sacrifice his slender body to take a charge .
“No, I saw that when we recruited him,” Anderson said. “I saw him as being one of those guys that’s going to be a total player. I think he handles the ball well, he can pass the basketball. He’s got a good basketball IQ.”
Basketball IQ is as important as bravery in successfully taking a charge, Anderson said.
“He’s pretty much in position to take charges,” Anderson said. “That’s all about IQ and reading the floor, and help position. I saw that (at Northside).
“They’ve done a pretty good job with him. He’s a well-rounded player an, obviously, his best basketball is going to be in front of him. He’s just got to continue to mature and get stronger.”
Joe says taking charges is as much a part of his game as his 12.8 scoring average, along with 13 assists and 10 steals in five games.
“I’ve always taken charges and things of that sort since high school basketball,” Joe said. “I knew coming in here, it was going to be a big factor.
“And a charge does a lot for a team. It gives us the ball. It gives the other team a foul and it gives that person a personal foul. Just little things like that can give some teams an edge.”
Junior starting forward Adrio Bailey, another player who is not bashful about planting himself in front of a breakaway threat, said teammates appreciate it when a perimeter player like Joe cashes a charge at the opposition’s expense.
“You know by him doing that, it goes to show not only us but it shows the people that we’re all one group,” said Bailey, the team’s elder statesman as the lone scholarship junior.
“We’re all tuned in and locked in and want to do the same thing and that’s win. So by him doing that, and Gabe, we have forwards and guards doing the same things and we’re all on the same page. That goes to show you how tuned in we are on trying to be a better basketball team.”
That defense first is Anderson’s first premise for floor time also suits Joe’s blue-collar time clock. Joe said the team has played solid defense but can still get better.
“There’s always room for improvement,” Joe said. “We work on those things every day in practice. So, throughout the course of the season we should just continue to get better and better.”
Joe has smoothly adapted on offense from being the top gun on Northside’s back-to-back state finalist teams to foremost feeding and complementing Daniel Gafford. Arkansas’ star 6-11 sophomore center from El Dorado adorns a number of watch lists for major postseason awards.
“One of the biggest things is use him a lot,” Joe said. “Use him as much as you can.
“The more they focus in on him, the more it opens up everything for us guards and shooters. And when we get going, it opens up a lot of things for Daniel. So, we just complement each other. Just go back and forth.”