SARNIA – Another day is upon us, and we’ve got another new recruit announcement that’s increasing the level of excitement ahead of the 2024-25 season on the hardwood for the Men’s Basketball Program.
Wing Samuel Isaac has officially committed to Head Coach James Grant and the Lambton Men’s Basketball Program for the 2024-25 season, and beyond.
Isaac is the sixth member of a growing 2024 recruiting class for Coach Grant and his coaching staff. Isaac joins the likes of Loghan LeBlanc (New Waterford, N.S.), Owen Newell (Brussels, Ont.), Cory King (Toronto, Ont.), Jaxson Halward (Woodstock, Ont.), and Darius Schmidt (Waterdown, Ont.) as fresh faces ready to join the Lions come September.
“Sam is a wing who can also play as a bigger guard, when needed,” said Grant. “He has the ability to play above the rim, and he's going to bring a lot of strength and athleticism to the position for us which is a huge benefit to our program.”
“I’ve been following Sam’s progression for a long time, and he has all of the tools that we need in moving ahead.”
Isacc, a six-foot-three wing, comes to Lambton College from Winkler, Manitoba. He plays his high school basketball at Garden Valley Collegiate for the Zodiacs. Outside of high school, Isaac plays for the Legacy Prep Basketball Academy out of Winnipeg, which is 90-minutes northeast of Winkler.
“I’m really excited to move onto the next level from Prep Basketball to college,” said Isaac. “It’s a very different culture out here in Sarnia (compared to Manitoba), a bigger city, and a really nice facility at Lambton College, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’m looking forward to the education piece and the basketball, obviously, but I’m also looking forward to experiencing new things and living somewhere new in Canada.”
Winkler, which has a population of just under 14,000 people as of 2021, is near the bottom of Manitoba. It’s a 20-minute drive to the Canada – U.S. border crossing into North Dakota.
Making the move across the country is never an easy thing to do, but Isaac is taking it on as a challenge and is excited for what lies ahead for him in Sarnia. On the court, he’s hoping to electrify his new home fans with his play on both ends of the court.
“Fans will see some highlight dunks,” said Isaac with a smile. “I like to get out in transition and hit threes as well, so hopefully they’ll see me just getting buckets.”
Academically, Isaac will be enrolled in the Sports & Recreation Management Program at Lambton College. He plans on pursuing a career in Education.
The Lions are coming off a 2023-24 season that saw the group finish 9-9 during the regular season, good for seventh in the always-competitive OCAA West Division. They were unable to replicate their post-season magic from the 2022-23 season, one in which they finished seventh in the regular season but made a run to the OCAA Final Four. This year, the Lions dropped their OCAA Crossover Game on the road at George Brown, bringing a premature end to their season.
Now, Coach Grant and his staff have turned their focus to building the roster for the 2024-25 season, and the addition of Isaac to the mix checks multiple boxes as they prepare for what is shaping up to be an exciting future.
Welcome to The Den, Sam!
For more information, or for any media inquiries within Lambton College Athletics, please contact:
Tyler Bennett
Lambton College Sports Information & Marketing Coordinator
tyler.bennett@lambtoncollege.ca