Isaiah Washington

Isaiah Washington (born July 20, 1998) is an American college basketball player for the Iona Gaels of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). He played for St. Raymond High School for Boys in The Bronx, where he was named Mr. New York Basketball in 2017. Washington co-founded and popularized Jelly Fam, a social media movement that emphasizes creative finger roll layups.

Washington was born and raised in Harlem, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. He grew up playing basketball at Dunlevy Milbank Children's Center in Harlem. In junior high school, Washington and his friend, Ja'Quaye James, along with Jahvon Quinerly, began calling themselves "Jelly Fam." The phrase became popular among basketball players through social media and was centered around fancy finger roll layups called "jelly." Washington trademarked the name.

Washington played basketball for St. Raymond High School for Boys in The Bronx, a borough of New York City. In August 26, he shared most valuable player (MVP) honors at the Elite 24 All-American Game after scoring 36 points. As a senior, he averaged 26 points and six assists per game. Washington scored a season-high 54 points in a 91–83 loss to Cardinal Hayes High School. He finished his career as St. Raymond's all-time leading scorer with 1,410 points, surpassing Darryl Bryant, and was named Mr. New York Basketball, becoming the fourth point guard to ever win the award. Washington was a consensus four-star recruit and the most highly-rated New York point guard in the 2018 class. He committed to play college basketball for Minnesota over offers from several other NCAA Division I programs.

On November 10, 2017, Washington made his collegiate debut, recording four points and five assists on 1-of-9 shooting for Minnesota in a 92–77 victory over USC Upstate. On February 3, 2018, he scored a career-high 26 points in a 76–73 overtime loss to Michigan. It was the highest-scoring performance by a Minnesota freshman in Big Ten Conference play since Kris Humphries in 2004. He was subsequently named Big Ten freshman of the week. As a freshman, Washington played 32 games and averaged 8.7 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 36.6 percent from the field. On December 11, 2018, during his sophomore season, he posted his first double-double, with 14 points and a career-high 13 assists in an 80–71 win over North Florida. Washington averaged 4.3 points and 2.8 assists on 31.1 percent shooting as a sophomore and received less playing time due to the emergence of Gabe Kalscheur.

For his junior season, he transferred to Iona, moving closer to his hometown of Harlem to spend time with his ailing grandmother, and was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA. In his first eight games, Washington averaged 7.8 points per game and shot 28 percent on three-pointers, but he grew more comfortable with his teammates and improved his statistics as the season progressed. On January 26, 2020, he tallied 25 points and 10 rebounds in a 94–88 loss to Monmouth. On February 27, Washing posted the third triple-double in Iona history with 14 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in an 86–65 win over Canisius. Washington averaged 11.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game.

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