While listening to Isis Young, it is easy to get caught up in her myriad athletic talents and interesting hobbies. It is exciting to hear about her brother Isiah and sister Imani, both of whom she clearly cares for deeply and are accomplished in their own right when it come to the game of soccer. Still, the most interesting thing to come out of my discussion with her is how she seems to excel at everything she sets her mind to.
How does one go through high school breaking scoring records on the soccer team while at the same time being recruited by some impressive college basketball programs? How does a person tear her ACL and meniscus and not let it slow her down? The answer might seem obvious, but there really is no substitute for determination, conviction, and self-motivation.
Every day when she comes home, Isis is greeted by a vision board that she updates every two or three months. It motivates her to accomplish whatever she decides to set as her next goal. Now that she is attending Newhouse, it seems like a guarantee that she will end up in front of the camera in some capacity, whether that be as a basketball analyst or sideline reporter, or even reporting for the Olympics.
Interview Audio: https://soundcloud.com/trevor-kriley-737786822/sports-communication-emphasis-interview
Interview Transcription:
Trevor Kriley: Can you spell your name please?
Isis Young: I-s-i-s Y-o-u-n-g
TK: Where are you from?
IY: I am from Berlin New Jersey, in south Jersey, about 20 minutes from Philadelphia.
TK: So is Philadelphia “The City” when people say “The City?” Because that’s what my sister always says.
IY: Depends on where you are. I think people near me – if they say they’re going to the city – yes, you’re talking about Philly. But if you’re anywhere above Central Jersey, then you’re going to New York City.
TK: OK. Just wondering if that was consistent.
IY: Yeah.
TK: Family members?
IY: My parents Dennis and Denise. I'm the oldest so I have a little brother Isaiah. He's 20 and a sister Imani. She’s 19 – or she'll be 19 in like a week – her birthday is July 29th. So yeah, I’m the oldest of three.
TK: So where did you go to school? Before this.
IY: Okay so I started at the University of Florida and I was there for two years while I was there I was undecided I had kind of taken some classes in criminology.
TK: That’s what my sister’s doing.
IY: Oh cool. My dad is an attorney so I’ve grown up eating fries and watching Law & Order. So I feel like it’s in me. I really wanted to study law for a really long time in my life and then realized that I really don't like to read like that and I figured law school was not for me. And so then I transferred here, decided I really wanted to be a broadcaster. I like to talk and I like sports. And I liked the team. I liked the makeup of the team and the system. I think it fit me very well. And so I’ve been here for two years. This is my third and probably my last.
TK: So did you play on the team at Florida also?
IY: I did, I did. My first year I came in I redshirted because I had a knee injury from high school that I was recovering from.
TK: Oh what did you do?
IY: I tore my ACL and I sprained my meniscus
TK: That’s what my sister did too.
IY: It’s horrible. I feel like everyone’s done something to their knee like one way or another. And then the second year I played, then I transferred, then I sat at Syracuse, then I played last year, and now I’m playing this year.
TK: Nice, nice, awesome. Hold on, on let me think of a question. Obviously, I have to improve on this. Defining moment in your basketball career at all?
IY: Defining moment in my basketball career? I think there's a couple. So when I was a junior I was in the state championship game are the semi-finals to the state championship game and…
TK: So this was in high school?
IY: Yeah, high school, I’m sorry. And the team we're playing was Gill Saint Bernard.
TK: Oh, I know them.
IY: Yeah I was going to say, it should be pretty close to you. So there were a couple of players I had known from playing AAU, so it was really like a rivalry game. But whoever was going to win the semifinal game was probably going to win the state championship because the other side just wasn’t as competitive – they never are. And so I had a Harry Perretta, which is the head coach of Villanova, come to the game. It was like a packed house and I had 36 points. It was really cool, I had like the first seven points of the game. I just started off rolling.
TK: Just on fire
IY: Yeah. The “in the zone” term was that day. I can't even tell you I didn’t even think about shooting or think about missing or think anything like that – I was just going. So that was definitely, like, probably one of my greatest total games. My next greatest game was this past year we played Duke. I had a career high 16 points. I hit four “threes.” I played really good. And I only played 15 minutes.
TK: Efficient from the field?
IY: Yeah, I was super efficient that day. Normally I play more. I think the way the game was going – Duke is really big and so we needed more bigs in the game and so because I'm a guard we're playing like a point guard and our shooting guard and the other three were bigs. Normally we play a three-guard system. And so it didn’t allow for me to play a lot, but when I got in the game, I just happen to capitalize and really help the game. So that was definitely, like, a really good moment.The other thing is I love to hate Duke kind of thing. So it’s more of like, it’s Duke. I kept saying that to my teammates. Everybody doesn’t get to play Duke. Everybody doesn’t get to see a Blue Devils jersey in front of them and it’s like “Oh my gosh.” And so I was just thinking the game is going to be historic anyway because we’re playing Duke. People don’t get to do that. And so I grew up watching Duke and the UNC's and the Tennessee's and stuff and so it was just like a real basketball moment for me to be like I'm on the court against Duke today and this is cool. And we were home.
TK: I was going to ask if it was here.
IY: Yup, and we were home.
TK: You got the crowd behind you?
IY: Yup. Everybody loves to beat Duke. So it was a bigger crowd than normal. My family was there, which they come to like every home game so that’s pretty normal.
TK: Oh, that’s a drive. That’s nice.
IY: Yeah, I think they missed about, less than ten, maybe eight games period.
TK: So they travel around with you, like around the country?
IY: Yeah.
TK: Wow, very committed.
IY: They are very committed. The farthest we went was Vegas and they didn't make it to that game, but they've been to Notre Dame, they were at the Wake Forest’s is in the NC State's and stuff like that – Boston College – and so they do a good job of supporting. So those were my defining moments right there.
TK: Nice. Okay. So we’ll transition now. Any hobbies outside of basketball? So after practice you’re like “Oh my God, I don’t want to touch a basketball again.” Is there ever a time like that or is it always…
IY: Oh no there’s definitely a time like that. One of my life motto comments is “everything in moderation.” Because people think that because you do basketball so much you really eat, sleep, and breathe basketball – sometimes not by choice – and so when you have that moment to like not do it, you have to take a step back. And so I love ice cream. Ice cream to me is therapeutic. And you should really quote me on that. I don’t even care if you head the article that ice cream to me is super therapeutic.
TK: “It’s therapeutic.” I’ll write that down for sure.
IY: Yeah it's just, I don't know. To, like, sit outside to eat ice cream it’s… to me it's very simple. It's like a simple thing that I can do and it allows me to clear my mind. Like, I don't have to think about too much. I'm usually not super exhausted and super tired. Every now and then I switch out my ice cream, but I always go with the basic vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Sometimes I add a little caramel if I’m feeling like I need an extra, like, “oomf” today, but besides that, yeah. I love getting ice cream. I love to shop. I really have a problem. I really do, but I blame both my parents because both of them are shopaholics too. So I love to shop, and I love to do broadcasting. I do a whole bunch of stuff through broadcasting. I love the camera. I love being in front of the camera, being able to talk, articulate a point, get to know people, network and all that involves a camera, you know, most of the time.
TK: So you want to be, like on air?
IY: I want to be a sports broadcaster. My goal is to be a sideline reporter, an analyst, and a producer for professional and college basketball. And then my end goal is to report something for the Olympics.
TK: Wow, lofty.
IY: Trying to tell you, there’s no sky in my world.
TK: No, no, I believe in you.
IY: Thank you so much.
TK: You’re welcome.
IY: Yeah, so that’s my goal.
TK: Awesome, very nice. I’m trying to think of what else. Any other hobbies? Or…
IY: Oh so, this has to do with sports. I love watching my brother play, I watch my brother play, a lot.
TK: Where does he play?
IY: He plays overseas. He plays soccer in Germany. The club is called Werder Bremen and so if I'm not getting ice cream, or shopping, or sports broadcasting, or in practice, I like to watch him play.
TK: What’s it called again, can you spell that?
IY: Yeah: W-e-r-d-e-r and then Bremen, B-r-e-m-e-n. And so, he’s been there for a year and a half. He’s got one more year left in his contract and he scored in his last two games which has had me, like, ecstatic. I’ve been really braggy, like probably too much. But I don’t think you can brag too much when your brother’s overseas and scoring. And he’s only 20. Like he’s playing against people who are 22 – like two or three years older than him. So clearly, I’m bragging now. But anyway… But I love to watch him play, and I love to watch my sister play. She played this past year at Wagner. She plays soccer too.
TK: So why basketball?
IY: I played soccer too, growing up. I take whatever credit they rein in from soccer, because I always tell people I taught them how to play. And so, of course I’m the oldest and so I started playing soccer when I was four. Isaiah probably started when he was three, which made me five, and so we would – we had a soccer field out in the back and we would beat up on each other – I would beat up on him until he got too old and he was bigger than me and he would beat up on me. By that time I had decided to take basketball anyway so it was okay. But yeah, so I always tell everybody that I taught him everything he knows. But yeah, I played up until I was a junior in high school. I was pretty decent. I probably could have played like low D1. I, like, broke scoring records at my school. But I was just good at it, I didn’t love it.
TK: Oh, okay.
IY: Yeah, I was just good at it.
TK: What high school did you play at?
IY: I played at Trenton Catholic Academy.
TK: Oh, Trenton Catholic.
IY: Yeah, I was at TCA for three years, and then my last year, I went to Life Center Academy. So yeah, I played soccer at TCA my freshman and sophomore year and then I just gave it up my junior year and focused on basketball. I really started to get some scholarships and stuff so I was like I can't play another sport and be hurt. It’s just not going to be worth it.
TK: That would not, yeah… That would not be worth it.
IY: That would’ve killed all dreams. But, yeah…
TK: Uhhhh…
IY: Oh, okay, another hobby. I love spoken word.
TK: Spoken word? Like poetry?
IY: Yes. Yes and no.
TK: Okay.
IY: Poetry sometimes. Spoken word is different. It’s usually people telling a story, or trying to give insight, or teach a lesson. Kind of things like that. It doesn’t always have to rhyme. You know, you play soft music in the background. It’s more of a soulful vibe than poetry, which can sometimes be kind of silly.
TK: Yeah. Okay.
IY: But I love spoken word so I love finding… You know like a small bar or restaurant or different things like that that have it for the night, and just listening to people. I don’t do it at all.
TK: Okay.
IY: I strictly listen. Soak it up, support people. Sometimes they bring, you know, their books, or – people will do spoken word and paint. So I’ll buy paintings from them. But I love spoken word. That gets me – that’s like therapeutic to me too.
TK: Okay.
IY: Yeah. Spoken word and ice cream.
TK: Cool, cool, cool. Hmmm. Let’s see. Are you married (laughing)
IY: I am – I am not married (laughing).
TK: No?
IY: Not engaged.
TK: Yeah I was trying to go for what you asked me before.
IY: Not married, not engaged, not in a relationship. I’m just focused on myself. I just love what I’m doing right now and I think I need to focus on myself.
TK: I was going to say this seems like the perfect place for you if, you know, you’re into spoken word and being on camera and stuff like that.
IY: Yeah, I think I’ve molded myself – it’s so funny – to be a Syracuse, like, mafia. I think I’ve molded myself into that because as soon as I got here – I had thought about broadcasting a teeny bit when I was at Floridaand I got here I just took off with it. Like I ran with it. I started doing my own interviews and stuff, I created a YouTube channel, I met people. Like I took off with it and it just came out of nowhere. One day I was talking to a friend of mine, who I was dating at the time, and he was like, “Yo, you could really do it.” And I was like, You think so? Like I don’t know. I’m goofy” – which I am, I laugh all the time. And he was just like “No, I think you can grow into it and do it.” And so I created a vision board that day of things that I could do and goals that I want to have, and I update my vision board probably like every two or three months because I get to where I want to go and I create another feature story and I’m like, we got to do another vision board. But yeah, it was one night, I remember, and I just, like, we went to write it. I bought a poster, I bought some Post-its, I bought a Sharpie. I started writing, I put tape on the board. I put it up on my wall and it’s, like been my thing ever since. It keeps me on track with whatever goals and stuff. Because otherwise I would just be living life and getting ice cream like every day, which isn’t good.
TK: Sounds more like me honestly. That’s what I’ve been doing.
IY: Everyone can’t do that. Everyone can’t do it. You know?
TK: Right.
IY: It helps – it’s a reminder to me that every time I walk in my room, I see the goals and the things that I want to do, and subconsciously, I know my brain is telling me like, “Come on, let’s make things happen.”
TK: Okay.
IY: So yeah.
TK: Great. I think that’s probably good at this point. We’re 14 minutes in.
IY: I was going to say I don’t think I have any more fun facts for you.
TK: You made my job a lot easier.
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