The Texas Tech basketball team will have a lot of gaps to fill this offseason. The biggest gap will be caused by Pop Isaacs, the top scorer in 2023–24, following the sophomore’s rumored entry into the transfer portal.
For the resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, this past season had to be a real test. In addition to having to play through a torn labrum, which made life on the court challenging, he was also playing in the midst of a legal complaint alleging that he had sexually assaulted a 17-year-old female in the Bahamas in November, and while his father was battling cancer.
Because of those accusations, Isaacs was the target of persistent, lustful taunts and jeers during away games. To his credit, though, he persevered and started each of the season’s 34 games.
Isaacs averaged 15.8 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game, good for third-team All-Big 12 recognition. Nine times, he scored twenty points or more, and 26 times, he scored in double figures.
But Isaacs was a waste of potential at times. From 37.8% as a rookie to just 29.3% this season, he shot less than half of the 3-point range.
Nevertheless, he continued to shoot the most from beyond the arc—7.3 times per game—of any player on the squad.
Additionally, his offensive rating—which calculates a player’s expected points per 100 possessions—was just 100.5. Compared to his rookie offensive rating of 102.9, there is a notable drop.
Fans’ opinions on Isaacs are divided, which makes sense for a player who had such a roller coaster of a season.
