Lobo basketball lands versatile guard, first commitment of 2025 recruiting class

Lobo basketball has struck recruiting gold in southern California several times before.

Why stop now?

Richard Pitino and crew were more than happy to take another dip in the Inland Empire’s deep pool of basketball talent to land their first recruit of the 2025 class.

Issac Williamson — a 6-foot-1, 190-pound combo guard who plays for the highly regarded Compton Magic travel team and at Eastvale, California power Eleanore Roosevelt High School — gave his verbal commitment to play for Pitino and the Lobos next season.

The high school senior posted the news Tuesday on social media — less than a week after he, his parents, and one of his coaches made an official recruiting visit in Albuquerque late last week.

“You’ll see a dog — tenacious on defense with a really smooth, pretty shot. He can make shots,” said Issac Williamson Sr., the father of the newest Lobo who has coached basketball in the past, including crossing paths with former Lobos such as Kendall Williams, Jemarl Baker Jr., Tony Snell and Tony Danridge.

“(Issac Jr.) is a kid that wants to win, whatever it takes to win. He’s the kid who will dive on the floor,” he father said. “He’ll run through a brick wall for Pitino — 100% effort every game.”

Williamson, whose recruitment has elevated since the end of his junior season as he’s continued turning heads as one of the best all-around players in the region, had more than a dozen Division I scholarship offers, including from Washington, Nevada and Colorado State, to name a few.

On his official visit, his dad said some of his son’s time was spent playing basketball and hanging out with fellow Inland Empire Lobo players Donovan Dent and Quinton Webb, who is a fellow former Compton Magic player. That duo, dad said, helped convince his son he didn’t need to take any more recruiting visits.

The Lobos’ ties to the Compton Magic are strong.

“I love the way Coach Pitino gives his players ‘freedom’ on the floor,” said Etop Udo-Ema, co-founder and CEO of Compton Magic, when asked about that long-standing relationship. “I also trust him with our guys. It’s an easy deal if there is a fit.”

Udo-Ema had high praise for the player the Lobos are getting.

“Issac Williamson is one of the top two-way players in the class of 2025 and probably one of the most under-appreciated guards in the whole country,” Udo-Ema said. “(He) comes from a great high school and amazing AAU culture. He should be an immediate impact player.”

From a more neutral observer, Williamson was named the 2024 California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Defensive Player of the Year as a junior this past season by Tarek Fattal, senior reporter for SBLive Sports.

Described by his high school coach Stephen Singleton as a “disruptor” in Fattal’s coverage, Williamson often had the primary defensive assignment for his team.

Fattal notes Williamson held five-star, national No. 1 or No. 2 overall recruit Brandon McCoy of St. John Bosco High School (Bellflower, California) to 13 points in a key win for Roosevelt.

Williamson averaged 12.6 points and 1.6 steals as a junior at Roosevelt and is teammates with several highly recruited Division I-level players.

UNM coaches aren’t allowed to discuss recruits until they’ve signed a National Letter of Intent. The first day for Class of 2025 basketball recruits to do so is in the early signing period, which this year will be Nov. 13-20.

THAT’S THE TICKET: Tickets are on sale for the Lobos’ Nov. 8 neutral court game with UCLA in Henderson, Nevada.

The game, the second in a doubleheader event called Las Vegas Hoopfest that will feature Arizona State and Santa Clara in the first game, will be played at the Lee’s Family Forum, which has a new name from last year when the Lobos went 4-0 in that building with neutral court wins over Toledo, Rice, Pepperdine and Santa Clara.

Tickets, which start at $31, are being sold at axs.com by searching “Hoopfest.”