‘I’M BACK’: Star guard Isaiah Wong announces he’s returning to Miami for another season
After helping lead the Miami Hurricanes to their first Elite Eight last season, Isaiah Wong is coming back to Coral Gables for another year.
Wong initially entered his name into the 2022 NBA Draft in April, but maintained his eligibility, leaving open the option of returning to Miami for a fourth season. On Wednesday, he announced he’s coming back to school.
Wong made the announcement with a simple two-word message on his Instagram.
“I’M BACK,” he posted in all caps, with the caption, “Let’s run it back.”
The university immediately confirmed the star point guard’s decision.
“Isaiah is truly one of the finest guards in the history of our program, as well as an excellent young man and a superb representative of our University,” coach Jim Larranaga said in a statement. “My coaches, players and I are all excited Isaiah has made the decision to come back to Coral Gables. The predraft experience was, once again, quite valuable for him and we will continue to do all we can to help him reach his goal of playing in the NBA.”
Wong will be a fourth-year junior next season and has two years of eligibility remaining after everyone was granted an extra year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was a third-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in each of the last two seasons and was projected as a fringe draft prospect this year. He did not participate in the NBA Draft Combine last month.
Last year, Wong ranked second on the team with 15.3 points per game, third with 4.3 rebounds and fourth with 2.0 assists. He also shot 45.2 percent from the field and 30.2 percent from three-point range.
In the Hurricanes’ four-guard lineup, Wong was part of a dynamic 1-2 scoring punch with star senior Kameron McGusty and a reliable secondary ballhandler to fellow guard Charlie Moore.
McGusty and Moore, however, are both out of eligibility, setting up Wong to be Miami’s leader next season.
Had Wong opted to stay in the NBA Draft, the Hurricanes would have lost 4 of 5 starters from last season. Now, Wong and fellow guard Jordan Miller, who was the team’s leading rebounder last year, give Miami some continuity in the backcourt.
The transfer addition of guard Nijel Pack, who was a first-team all-Big 12 Conference selection last year with the Kansas State Wildcats, will also help give the Hurricanes an opportunity to maintain their guard-heavy approach next season.
Pack’s arrival did briefly complicate Wong’s status in South Florida. After Pack announced he was transferring to Miami, billionaire booster John Ruiz announced he had signed the point guard to a two-year, $800,000 marketing agreement with LifeWallet and Adam Papas — Wong’s agent, negotiating name, image and likeness deals — told ESPN that Wong would enter his name into the transfer portal “if Isaiah and his family don’t feel that the NIL number meets their expectations.”
However, Wong — whose deal with Ruiz’s LifeWallet is worth $100,000, Rivals.com reported — said on Twitter the next day, “The recent statements made without any authorization on my behalf do not reflect my views,” and he did not enter the portal.
This story was originally published June 1, 2022 at 11:07 AM.
