5-Star Guard Isiah Harwell’s Dad Says Kentucky is ‘A Match Made in Heaven’

Class of 2025 five-star guard Isiah Harwell is becoming a key priority for Kentucky in the 2025 class. The No. 8-ranked player in the On3 Industry Ranking is very familiar with UK’s new staff, playing high school not far from BYU at Wasatch Academy (Mt. Pleasant, Utah).

The 6-foot-5, 190-pound shooting guard is currently playing with the Utah Prospects on the Adidas 3SSB circuit in Bryan, Texas. Kentucky assistant coach Cody Fueger is there scouting him.

Harwell’s father, Ron Harwell, told KSR+ on Saturday that the new Kentucky staff has been mainly in contact with Isiah. However, he has had a few discussions with Fueger.

“Isiah is just a hard worker,” Harwell said. “He’s a very good player and like I said, he’s a winner. The Kentucky program is a winning program. To me, that’s a match made in heaven.”

A Kentucky Visit is ‘A No-Brainer’

Isiah Harwell is already in the thick of the recruiting process. His only official visit so far has been to Gonzaga. Could a Kentucky trip be in the works?

“That will be a no-brainer for us,” Ron Harwell said. “Kentucky is one of the top schools in the nation just by reputation alone. When they reached out to Isiah, he was pretty happy. Kentucky demands the best players in the country. That’s a no-brainer.”

Ron has not spoken in-depth with Isiah about the interest frm Kentucky, but says the staff has been looking to build a visit. He’s “pretty sure” Isiah will want to visit UK.

In addition to Kentucky, Harwell is planning to visit Cal next month. That’s the only anticipated visit this summer.

“I was trying to hold off and have all the visits during the fall period, but Cal wanted us to get in quick. We’re going to head there next month,” Ron said, noting that visits to Texas and Houston, among others, will likely be in the fall.

There was some talk previously about Harwell moving into the 2024 class. Now, that’s off the table, Ron said.

“It’s not in the cards now,” he said. “He plans on coming back to school. He wants to finish out and finish strong. His plans are to have a fantastic senior year and make the McDonald’s All-American team.”

Isiah Harwell ‘Didn’t Really Have An Interest in Utah Schools’

When Mark Pope was at BYU, he was making an effort to recruit Isiah Harwell, but it wasn’t a likely destination. Prior to Pope’s hire at Kentucky, Ron says Isiah’s favorite schools were North Carolina, Gonzaga, Texas, Baylor, and Houston.

“Isiah didn’t really have an interest in the Utah schools at the time,” he said. “The recruiting from BYU and all Utah schools was little.”

Kentucky’s new assistant coach Alvin Brooks III was recruiting Harwell when he was at Baylor. There’s some connection there.

Ron is unsure if Kentucky has extended an offer to Isiah yet. He hasn’t gotten confirmation that they have.

Harwell and his father spent time watching some of BYU last season. He said “they exceeded expectations this past season.”

“The system that Pope has plays well to Isiah and plays well to his style of game,” Ron said.

Harwell is also familiar with a player set to join Kentucky’s roster in 2024-25. That’s Collin Chandler, who played for the same AAU program as Isiah with the Utah Prospects.

“Their games are kind of similar,” Ron said. “Isiah elevates his mid-range more and is very tough on the perimeter defensively. He recovers really quickly. Collin is very, very similar to that. Collin is a very, very good player.”

‘A Strong Two-Way Player’

When it comes to Isiah Harwell’s game, one of his greatest assets is his ability to play both ends of the floor. It also helps that he’s grown to nearly 6-foot-6.

“He’s definitely a strong two-way player,” Ron said. “All people have taken notes of that. His ability to control the game. He’s a winner, first and foremost. Any team he gets on, wins. He has a heavy share, a heavy contribution in that winning. His mid-range game is tough, three-point shooting is tough, and he’s got an array of moves. Defensively, he covers ground and moves his feet well.”

With one more season of high school remaining, Harwell still has time to get even better. That will come in all aspects of the game.

“He’s far from peaking, a long way from that,” Ron said. “He’s so stinkin’ good right now, yet he has a long way to go. This spring and summer, he’s been working hard on his jump shooting.”

Previously, Harwell was settling too often on three-point shots. Now, he’s taking advantage of pull-ups and mid-range jumpers.

“He’s just working on those things and attacking the basket more,” Ron said. “[Isiah] is not just relying on his outside shooting, but trying to make the defense pay, put them on their heels, get to the basket, get them in foul trouble, get to the line, and get easy baskets so that he can get going on the outside shooting.”

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