MaxPreps Weekly Honor Roll, presented by the United States Marine Corps: Evan Isbell, Mountain View

Evan Isbell is No. 1 in scoring, rebounding, shot blocking and minutes played for the Mountain View (Ark.) boys basketball team.

But it's being ranked No. 1 academically in the junior class that matters most to the 16-year-old.

Isbell is a well-rounded kid in the classroom and on the court, which is evident by his dedication in both areas.

"Academics are the most important thing to me," said Isbell, who carries a 4.0 grade point average. "Athletics have taught me hard work, discipline, dedication and leadership, but one day my basketball career will be over. ... Athletics and academics do not have to be opposites, as they both work hand-in-hand to make a better person."

Mountain View coach Jeff Morrow has had the pleasure of having Isbell on his team for the past two seasons and raves about his student-athlete.

"Evan's an outstanding young man," Morrow said. "He's a coach's dream, because you can tell him to do something and he does it. He tries his hardest with everything that he does. I can get after him and he understands that it's nothing personal, and after the fact it's all good."

Isbell just closed out a strong second year starting for the Yellowjackets. He averaged 13 points, two rebounds, two blocks and two assists per game.

Tallying a pair of assists a night might not seem like a pertinent statistic, but Isbell is the team's center. At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, he is undersized as a post player. He makes up for his lack size against taller centers with his versatility in and outside the paint.

"He's not the stereotype 'five' that you need, the aircraft carrier inside," Morrow said. "Like tomorrow, we're going to battle a 6-6, 300-pounder.

"(Evan's) got great feet, great hands and a great mind. His offensive skills are very good. He can get a guy up in the air, he can step around him. He can step out to the three-point line every once in a while and knock down a shot."

In just two short years on the varsity team, Isbell has learned that being able to adapt on the court can be a great asset. He likes to pull his defender away from the hoop and use his quickness to beat opponents off the dribble or nail a jumper from the elbow.

"If you can step out and hit that shot then players have to come out and guard you and that sets up different moves throughout the game," Isbell said.

Isbell also has a strong low-post game. His drop-step is one of his best attributes on the inside and he's developing an effective up-and-under move that gets the big guys off-balance, according to his coach.

Morrow has watched Isbell grow as a player in his first two seasons. It can be a tough transition going from playing junior varsity basketball as a freshman to starting on the varsity squad as a sophomore.

"That was a big jump playing as a 15-year-old playing against 18-year-olds that are just stronger and more athletic," Isbell said. "It took a little bit to get used to the speed of the game."

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Morrow said: "Being a post man and him playing against seniors, he's evolved into a very stout young man inside and enjoys contact. At first, he was a little timid and not understanding the physicality of high school last year, and now he's accepting he is the man inside and he's just playing the way we need him to play."

Along with playing high school basketball, Isbell has competed on the Northeastern Arkansas Cave Bats AAU team the past three years. Having experience playing against and with some strong players has helped Isbell's game.

When Isbell isn't on the court, he's inevitably either working hard in the classroom, studying, taking part in extracurricular school activities, getting involved in his church youth group or volunteering in his community. Isbell is the male student representative for the junior class and is a part of three organizations: Beta Club, Campus Club and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

He is enrolled in four advanced courses this semester and excels at balancing school with playing basketball.

"It can be hard sometimes, but usually I'll work on getting it done on the bus and before games and after games on the way home," Isbell said.

Isbell is very active in the Flatwoods Missionary Baptist Church youth group. He's been on three mission trips – two were sports camps in Washington, Pa., and Omaha, Neb. -- teaching youth how to play basketball, football and soccer.

Isbell's other mission trip was with members of his church to Pignon, Haiti, in 2015. His dad, who is a dentist, put on a dental clinic in the country and his mom and older brother also took part in the trip. Isbell helped build a wall at a local church and planted trees around the community.

"He comes from a very good family and what they have could easily go to his head -- but it doesn't, because he has seen other families in other countries and what they're going through and the struggles," Morrow said. "So he is a very grounded young man."

Isbell would like to attend another mission trip and give back to those who are less fortunate.

"It really shows lucky I am and how much (I've been blessed) with," Isbell said.

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