Iasia Hemingway has a hard time seeing her brother, Isaiah Briscoe, as the nationally known high school basketball star bound for Kentucky.
"I still see him as my little brother," Hemingway said. "That little fat boy who used to just run around with a basketball in his hands.”
Yes, there was a time when Briscoe wasn't the chiseled athlete for Roselle Catholic with top college coaches chasing him and NBA potential. He got the nickname "Boogie" back in grade school because he was chubby and could dribble well but couldn't do very much else other than that on the court.
“Growing up, nobody ever would have thought I would be who am I now. But I always believed in myself. I always knew that I could be the next one," Looking back and seeing where I came from, anything is possible.”
Briscoe grew up in Newark's South Ward and his father, George Briscoe, was a star guard at Stockton University. A brief flirtation with football gave way to basketball becoming his focus, and he grew up going to St. Patrick's games to see his cousin, current Cleveland Cavaliers star point guard, Kyrie Irving.
Hemingway, who played basketball for Georgia Tech and Syracuse and professionally in Australia before becoming an assistant coach for the Shabazz girls team, would occasionally play with her brother when she was on break from school. But after graduation, she didn't want to play with him anymore.
“That’s when I realized I wasn’t playing no more, because he was like six feet now," Hemingway said. "I was like, ‘You just flew! You just grew out of nowhere!’"
George Briscoe thought his son could be something special. When he held his in open gyms during the summer before he got to St. Benedict's, he was even more sure. Once Briscoe earned a starting spot on a roster stacked with Division 1 talent, he was certain.
"When you have Tyler Ennis, Melvin Johnson and all these Division 1 guys, you've got nine Division 1 guys on that team, and you're a freshman," George Briscoe said, "that just says a lot about who you are to compete with that type of stuff."
As important as Briscoe's talent is to his success, his personality on and off the court is another factor that has helped him along the way.
"Always had a personality and always had the character to attract other kids around him. He was always Batman, never Robin," George Briscoe said. "Somebody told me at all the camps, when he goes to LeBron camp, when he goes to any Nike big event, if you want to find Isaiah Briscoe, just see where the crowd at. Because he's always holding court. Everyone always wants to know what's going on with the Boogieman."
Briscoe added to his persona as well as his game by becoming friendly with several NBA players. Aside from being close to his cousin, Irving, he stays in touch with several others that he connected with through Nike events. Those relationships have driven him to work harder towards his goal.
"Working out with all those pro guys he works out with and talking to Kyrie and Carmelo and them and John Wall, he talks to him a lot, and Kyle (Anderson) and Tyler (Ennis) and Kemba Walker," George Briscoe said. "All the guys he talks to, tell him the same thing. Get ready now. Not saying you're going to be a pro, you've got ways to go, but start training yourself like a pro now and the transition will be easier. He has such a long way to go, but he gets it now. I think going to Kentucky will take him over the top."
"I think with the blessing from the Lord, I think he has the chance to play pro ball, no question about that" George Briscoe said. "You've got a lot of variables that come into play when you talk about playing pro ball. But does he have the talent to? Yes."
Whether Briscoe makes it to the NBA or not, he's already come a long way.
“I was always undersized, I was always overweight. I was always looked over. Everybody used to look over me,” Briscoe said. “Now, everywhere I go, everyone knows me. Now everyone shows their respect.”
Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Ad Choices