That Isaacs can hurl a baseball 92 mph doesn’t make him rare.
That he performs all those feats at the high school level does. The Warriors senior is in a club fewer and fewer high school athletes join nowadays: Three-sport standouts.
“You only get to be a kid once, that’s what my dad kept telling me,” Isaacs said. “He told me to experience everything I can.”
While Isaacs prefers to sample a variety of sports, the trend in recent years — especially at the Division I level — seems to be athletes specializing in one sport.
Game on
A typical day for Isaacs goes like this: Up before 7 a.m. to make it to school in time for classes that start at 7:25 a.m. and end at 2:35 p.m.; basketball practice from 3 to 6 p.m.; head home for dinner; get in a baseball workout; homework until about 10 p.m.; and go to bed.
Repeat.
The same scenario plays out for football in the fall and baseball in the spring. But Isaacs, who considered spending basketball season watching from the student section, said he doesn’t have trouble juggling academics, athletics and even adding a couple other extracurricular activities.
“My mom’s on me pretty hard, and I’ve been doing it for a while, so it’s worked out pretty well,” said Isaacs, who also had a one-line role as a Secret Service agent and a butler in the winter musical “Annie.”
“I was more scared to do that one line than I was for stepping on the pitcher’s mound or on the football field. Senior year, we all wanted to do something else that was kind of fun. It’s something I’m definitely glad I did.”
Different set of rules
Isaacs isn’t the only three-sport athlete around, but he’s more the exception than the rule at big schools. Smaller schools in conferences such as the Cross County Conference and Midwest Athletic Conference have fewer students, so the need and opportunity to play more sports is greater.
At Division I programs in the Greater Western Ohio Conference, more students mean more competition for roster spots. But that’s not the only reason three-sport athletes are on the decline.
Consider:
• College recruiting, especially in basketball, has targeted athletes earlier. It’s not unheard of for freshmen or even eighth-graders to receive or give verbal college scholarship offers.
• Competition. With more athletes specializing, some students are feeling the need to do the same in order to keep up or chase an elusive scholarship.
• Summer leagues, AAU and club teams, camps, private lessons. Years ago summer was reserved for baseball. Now the options are endless.
“Ten years ago, you never hard of 7-on-7 passing camps,” said Lebanon baseball coach Lee Day. “I think these things have cropped up, and a lot of it has to do with the regulations put on by both the college level and high school level.
“Everybody is trying to pack everything into that short amount of time they’re allowed to do things. Everybody is competing for the athlete’s time. ... When does a kid have a chance to be a kid? That is pretty much nonexistent.”
Back in the game
Isaacs has seen both sides. He skipped basketball his junior year to focus on weight-lifting and attend baseball showcases. It paid off with a baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech.
But after watching from the stands last season Isaacs — adding he never received pressure from coaches to play — knew he wanted back on the court this season.
“I think it’s a nice thing for a kid to have a variety,” said Lebanon basketball coach Pat Murphy. “I think some of these kids, it’s almost a business at a young age. It’s 11 or 12 months a year, and that’s a lot.”
Contact this reporter at
(937) 225-2400, ext. 6991, or
gbilling@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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