There’s no denying Isaiah Mucius’ status as an elite prospect in the Class of 2018. With a stellar summer with the PSA Cardinals, Mucius was thrust into the national spotlight, culminating with a top-60 ranking by ESPN. “Now that I’m ranked by ESPN, it’s put a target on my back and I love it.” said Mucius.

At 6’8”, 190 lbs, Mucius primarily plays at the small forward position, and after playing with the 16U PSA Cardinals, he was able to assert his dominance at the position: "I think the greatest strength in my game is being versatile, being able to get off the rim and go, and post guys up if I need to,” Mucius continued, ‘I can shoot the three ball, and I’m able to move in traffic.” This incredible ability to play in the post and on the outside allows him to adapt to his competition, allowing him to become one of the most intriguing prospects in his class.

 

Mucius’ dynamic play of late has definitely captured the attention of colleges all over. With offers climbing towards the double digits, Mucius has plenty of schools vying for his services. However, due to the fact that he is only a junior, Mucius is taking his time. “I’m just taking everything in, taking in the process, and working on my game,” he said. “I want to get better before I really get into the process.”

Helping him along the way is Mucius’ father, who has played a large role in his recruitment. It is common for fathers to play a part in the early stages of the recruiting process, and with Mucius that is surely the case. “He’s been helping me with a lot of the recruiting stuff, like scheduling, talking to coaches, and organizing things,” explained Mucius. “We’ve been taking it slow, so he’s helped a lot.”

 

Now that he is entering his junior year of high school, and coaches are allowed to contact him directly, things are heating up for the 6’8” forward. Even with the added pressure of recruiting, Mucius finds time to relax, saying, “I like to read a little bit and play video games with my cousins and friends.”

When Mucius started playing basketball at the age of six, he could’ve never imagined where the game was going to take him, but now that he is on the verge of becoming a 5-star recruit, he continues to perfect his craft. “I need to improve my ball handling under pressure,” he explained. “I try to model my game after Kevin Durant, being able to lead a team vocally, along with my body language and how I play.”

 

Isaiah Mucius may be one of the top players in the 2018 class, but it hasn’t always been that way. “There were times when I was weak, but I’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Mucius said. “There were times when I was doubted because of my strength. There have been times when I thought that I didn’t want to play basketball anymore and wasn’t playing well for a month or two.”

Those days are clearly behind him, and as he is clearly a player to monitor in the Class of 2018, he is motivated by one thing: “My family and trying to get them into a situation where my mom doesn’t have to work anymore. I need to make sure that my brother is doing the right thing on and off the court every day and that motivates me.”