By Andy Lohman



Watch the interview with Isiaha Mike

The excitement in SMU sophomore guard Isiaha Mike's voice when the subject of being able to play college basketball again is brought up is almost tangible.

"Oh, my gosh! I cannot wait, I'm so excited," Mike said grinning from ear to ear. "There's no words. I can't even put a sentence together."

His enthusiasm is understandable. Mike turned in an impressive freshman campaign at Duquesne where he averaged 11.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 32 games. But amid a coaching change that resulted from a 10-22 season in Pittsburgh, he made the decision to transfer to SMU. Due to NCAA transfer rules, he was forced to sit out the 2017-18 season.

Although taking a year off from playing is nobody's dream scenario, a redshirt year soaking in the game can provide a fresh perspective. A player that really stood out to Mike when he was watching games from the bench was Shake Milton, the former SMU guard who was selected in this year's NBA Draft and just signed a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

"The best part of it was being able to watch because the IQ of this level here in the AAC [American Athletic Conference] is a lot different," Mike said. "The guards are a lot bigger, guys are a lot bigger in general. One guy I was really watching a lot was Shake Milton. His pace, the way he's been moving, the decisions he makes when he's playing, I was keeping a close eye on him to pick up what I can take away from his game and add it to mine."

The 6-foot-8 forward said the biggest point of growth for him during his redshirt year was the rate at which he processes the game.

"I've slowed down tremendously. It's crazy," Mike said. "As a freshman I turned the ball over a lot because I was always in a rush trying to make a play. Go go go, I was always at 100 miles per hour. I've learned we don't always have to go 100 miles per hour, the change of pace is more effective."

Mike will have the unique opportunity to bring that awareness to game action before the season starts. He and teammate Jimmy Whitt are joining USA East Coast for a basketball trip to Italy from Aug. 3-9. In a four-day span, Mike and Whitt along with players from top programs like Kansas and Purdue, will play against the national teams of Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Italian team Vicenza Select Italy.

Not only is playing against top-level talent great for personal development, it will allow Mike to ease back into playing collegiately.

"That's why I'm really looking forward to Italy, it's going to be a good tune-up," Mike said. "Just get back into the groove."

Despite sitting out a year, having two years of college basketball under his belt gives Mike more experience that the majority of the SMU roster. Already a vocal guy, Mike is looking to channel that into leadership.

"I'm trying to be more of a leader," Mike said. "As a freshman I was a lot more impulsive, letting my emotions get to me. I feel like now that I've had that year off, I've had that year of collegiate basketball under my belt, some younger guys looking up to me as, I wouldn't say polished, but I have some letters on my jacket. I have some accomplishments under my belt. I want to set a good example for them and help lead this team to do some great things."

After having sat through a disappointing end to last year's injury-filled season, Mike is ready to finally step on the court and help SMU to its full potential.

"After last year watching what we could have accomplished," Mike said. "I feel like we can do that 10 times over this year."