Issa Issaku '25 Recruiting Profile

Basketball is my life and the focus of my dreams. Ever since my father introduced me to the sport, I have been passionate about it.  I have not played organized basketball yet, but play pickup basketball whenever I get the chance. 

I had to do a lot of hard work in the beginning, but it was worth it because it paved the way for me to have the opportunity to play at the high school level. While training is hard now and the demands of being a high school athlete seem overwhelming, thinking back to my earliest basketball memories gives me happiness and keeps me going.  Some of the reasons I love basketball are because it is challenging, helps me improve myself as a person, and teaches me a lot about life.

High school is my first step to achieve my dream. Currently I am a graduate of Junior high school and begin high school this fall.  I will strive to do my best with academics and training so that i will be prepared for college. 

Soccer is the most popular sport in Ghana and there are many youth who want to learn basketball.  I have been working to teach basketball fundamentals with over 400 boys and girls in 8 villages within the Ashanti Region.   I also teach the kids English and math while we play.  We don't have a lot of basketball equipment, courts or gyms.  Coach Edwin Atlas has helped me by sharing training videos.   He also gives me academic subjects to study and articles to read.  I have made face masks by hand to help them during the pandemic.  I saved my money to buy water and food for the kids when I visit their villages.

 I always go jogging every day to improve my physical fitness,  and work on improving basic game skills; shooting, dribbling, rebounding and passing.  Although I don't have a lot of equipment to work with, I find creative ways to work on my physical conditioning and training to get stronger. My goal is to improve offensive and defensive positional play, improve overall fitness, and to learn more about basketball while enjoying the game.

It is my wish to attend high school and college in the US to give me the chance to possibly play professional basketball.  I would like to be able to help support my family in Ghana.  know it is a big challenge and Coach Atlas also encourages me to prepare for a career if I don't play pro basketball.  I would like to study in science or the medical field to prepare for my future.