Isaiah Joe Attends NCAA Elite Student-Athlete Symposium

FAYETTEVILLE – University of Arkansas sophomore guard Isaiah Joe recently participated in the NCAA Elite Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete Symposium at the NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis.

The symposium, which is a product of the NCAA Leadership Development program, is intended to educate college players on the expectations and responsibilities they may face should they become a professional athlete as well as discussions on other post-career opportunities. Among the features of the forum were a former student-athlete panel, agent and players’ union discussions, and a seminar on personal branding.

This was the fourth year for the symposium, which is designed for both football and men’s basketball student-athletes who have an interest in continuing their playing careers professionally.

The three-day conference included:

  • Luke Fedlam of Anomaly Sports Group on REAP decisions – “Recognize” decision, “Evaluate” Information, “Analyze” options and “Produce” decision.
  • Jeremy McCool from the NCAA Enforcement asking, “What does basketball mean to them?”
  • Garth Glissman, Associate Vice President of Basketball Operations for the NBA, breaking down the statistics of how hard it is to make it in the NBA.
  • Carrie Cecil speaking on the X’s and O’s of social media.
  • conducting mock interviews.
  • participating in some financial awareness activities.
  • hearing from NBA veteran (and former player for Eric Musselman) Cherokee Parks.
  • NBA veteran and TV basketball analyst Greg Anthony talking about the importance of relationships and how far they can take you in life.
  • longtime college and NBA coach Kevin Eastman explaining what the best do differently from the rest.
  • NBA Players Association Deputy General Counsel David Foster discussing how the association works for the players and the role of agents in players’ lives.
  • Brad Walker and Ty Ellis speaking about the G-League, its trends and the future of the league.
  • Clark Kellogg capping the symposium. He brought home the theme of the week, “Your name will last longer than your game”

The symposiums are part of a larger effort of the Presidential Forum, which wants to ensure that the collegiate experience affords all student-athletes a pathway to opportunity. The membership wants to equip student-athletes with realistic expectations as to professional athletics careers.

Last year, Joe started all 34 games and averaged 13.4 points per game. He sank 113 3-pointers which set an Arkansas single-season record, tied the mark by an SEC freshman and was the fourth-most treys made by a freshman in NCAA history. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team as he set the league record for most 3-pointers made per game by a freshman (3.22) and he was just the fourth freshman to lead the league in 3-point field goal percentage (.414). On the defensive end, Joe led the team with 51 steals – ranking 10th in the SEC in the category – while leading the team by taking 27 charges.

 

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