The first time I met him, Isaiah Philmore was wearing a gray sweat suit. In essence, I found that’s what his personality was like in speaking with him later. Loose and cool, he’s not afraid of the challenge that awaits him as he enrolls later this year as the biggest recruit Towson men’s basketball coach Pat Kennedy has ever brought to the school in his tenure.
He’s a Rivals.com 3-star recruit, and it’s not a stretch to say Philmore could end up being integral for a program that is trying to gather exposure regionally and nationally.
He wants to be great, and he wants to be at Towson. That’s why it’s such an anomaly.
He had offers from Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Miami, Michigan and Marquette. To put it in perspective, three of those teams made the NCAA Tournament this season and all five of them have made the tournament in the last two seasons. Towson hasn’t had a winning season under Kennedy and hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in more than 15 years.
At Sunday’s Charm City Challenge, an annual high school All-Star game held at the Towson Center, Philmore looked right at home, playing mainly in the low post on defense and holding his own against Maryland-bound big man Jordan Williams. He even had a huge breakaway dunk midway through the second quarter, seemingly one of many jams he hopes to throw down when his career gets underway as a Tiger. Philmore, who spent time in the Midwest before finding a home at The John Carroll School in Bel Air, Md., will join AAU teammate and close friend Erique Gumbs at Towson this fall. Gumbs, a 6-foot-9-inch center, will add a much-needed interior presence to Kennedy’s rotation, and Philmore expects to get time right away on the frontline along his classmate.
“I’m an all around player. I’m ready to do everything for Towson,” Philmore said after the Charm City Challenge, then pausing for emphasis added, “Everything.”
It’s safe to say the TU community isn’t accustomed to winning and is getting sick and tired of being told wait until next year. But when Kennedy is able to pull a rabbit out of his hat in the form of incoming recruits Philmore, Gumbs and Philadelphia guard Will Adams, it gives fans a reason to keep believing. There is no question there is talent returning on Towson’s roster and Philmore wants nothing more than to contribute and be one of the guys. Troy Franklin finally figured out how to run an offense and played great as the season wound down while displaying superior athleticism. Calvin Lee and Robert Nwankwo could be great defenders down low if they keep improving like they did in the CAA Tournament. And Brian Morris can be the shooter the team needs to keep defenses honest. If Sunday’s game (a.k.a. Philmore’s Towson Center debut) was any indication, Towson, finally, is in good hands.
In this corner: Philmore could be just what TU needs
Published: Sunday, April 5, 2009
Updated: Monday, April 6, 2009
 "Photo: N/A")
5 comments
Go Tigers
Poor outing? its an all star game..guards dominate.. cherrypicking and slashing.. he had the ball 5 times maybe on offense and was 3-4 from the field he also played good defense.. getting his hands on the ball.. in passing lanes and all while guarding bigger players
phan
can't wait for philmore to be on the court for the tigers next season!
bk
To be honest I'm really disappointed that pat bringing in a decent recruit couldn't have happened earlier. But to be honest, the poor outing on sunday kind of makes me weary. Hopefully he'll live up to the hype
Doc the Tiger
he scored 6 points.. good reporting..
Joshua Nolet
I wish he had gotten more playing time, he also didnt seem that involved with the other players off the court, seemed to be more interested in the game and learning from what he could. philmore will be a star at TU unless Kennedy messes it up...
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