Welcome to A10 Talk’s postseason Top 25 player countdown where we’ll be breaking down the best players in the Atlantic 10 this past year, as voted on by our staff. Each day, we’ll release a new article as we unveil our list. Today, we start with #18 Tramaine Isabell of Saint Louis.
What he did
Tramaine Isabell had a bit of a roller coaster year at Saint Louis University. The one-time Mizzou guard came from Drexel as one of the most sought after grad transfers in the country, having averaged 21 points a game and 7 rebounds for the Dragons. With high expectations heading into the season, Isabell struggled to find his place in the Billikens offense. However, Travis Ford had told him all along that it would take until mid-February for him to get it figured out, and Ford proved prophetic.
Isabell embarked on a torrid run, culminating in a triumphant showing at the A-10 Tournament. He averaged 17.3 points per game and was the offensive sparkplug for the Bills all weekend as they improbably won 4 straight games to take the championship. Isabell was named Most Outstanding Player in the A-10 Tournament, and he got to play in the NCAA Tournament, a first for the fifth year senior.
What he’ll do
Make a bunch of money playing basketball. Realistically, it’s unlikely that Isabell will make the NBA, particularly right out of college, although he has a longshot chance of becoming a bench scorer. However, even if he doesn’t make it to the NBA, Isabell has a long career in professional basketball ahead of him. He’s one of the very best ball handlers around and is wildly inventive in getting his shot off. Tramaine Isabell should have no problem finding a team in need of his services and is in line to have an extremely successful professional career. The only question is what continent it will be on.