Isaiah Sykes

Isaiah Sykes

File:Isaiah Sykes UCF.jpg Sykes (right) battles with Joe Jackson for possession.
No. 3 – UCF Knights
Position	Shooting guard / Small forward
League	The American
Personal information
Born	(1991-12-02) December 2, 1991 Detroit, Michigan
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	Denby High School (Detroit, Michigan)
College	Colorado (2011–present)
Career highlights and awards
C-USA All-Conference First Team (2013) C-USA All-Defensive Team (2013)

Isaiah Sykes is an American basketball player who currently plays for the UCF Knights men's basketball team. He played high school basketball with Denby High School in his hometown, Detroit, Michigan. Sykes is eligible for the 2014 NBA Draft and is best known for being a part of the 2013 Conference USA First Team. He scored a career-high 36 points in a double overtime victory over Temple in the opening round of the 2014 AAC Tournament.

High school career

Isaiah Sykes played high school basketball representing Edwin C. Denby High School (Detroit, Michigan). Playing for head coach Chuck Albright, Sykes averaged 19.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists throughout his senior year. After leading the school to the Michigan Class A state semifinals, he was selected to play in the Michigan High School All-Star Game in which he scored 17 points. Soon after he graduated from Denby, Isaiah Sykes played for the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team known as the Michigan Hurricanes, under coach Will Smith. He then went on to participate in the 2009 Reebok All-American Camp, earning all-star honors.

College career

Sykes chose to attend the University of Central Florida after also considering the schools: Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan, and the Tennessee. In his freshman year, he seemed to have little effect on the success of the program, led by Marcus Jordan and Keith Clanton. By the end of his first season, Isaiah Sykes averaged 4.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. He logged a season-high 12 points against Furman on December 29, 2010.

By the end of Isaiah Sykes' sophomore year, he had made 32 of 33 possible starts in the Knights' regular season schedule. He scored at least 20 points in six of these games and also emerged as a huge rebounder, recording six double-doubles. He was also named the 2012 UCF Holiday Classic MVP.

Shortly before he would enter his junior year, Sykes considered entering the NBA Draft but withdrew his name. On February 9, 2013 against East Carolina, Isaiah Sykes became the NCAA Division I's second player to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season. Becoming one of the Conference USA's premier scorers, rebounders, and shot-blockers, he was named to the conference's All-Defensive Team and All-Conference First Team.

After an exceptionally successful junior year in college basketball, Isaiah Sykes was named to the American Athletic Conference All-League Preseason Second Team. He then delivered a regular season that included zero triple-doubles, but a career-high 36 points in a victory over the Temple Owls on March 12, 2014. The record initiated a win in the opening round of the 2014 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.