Bishop Noll senior Isaiah Manley isn’t wasting a single moment.
The 6-foot-4 forward has pushed through illnesses, bumps and bruises. At the end of games, Manley is drained, having expended all of his energy.
He understands this season is his one true opportunity to shine.
“The crazy thing about Isaiah, this is his first full year of basketball,” Bishop Noll boys basketball coach Ryan Schooler said. “It just shows how great of a player he is.”
Manley is averaging 13.9 points for the Greater South Shore Conference champion Warriors (9-11, 6-1). His first season as a varsity starter has included “monster games,” according to first-year coach Schooler, with 30 points on eight 3-pointers against Illiana Christian and 29 points against Hammond Central.
“He’s stepped up on offense and defense, and not only has his offensive production been amazing, but he’s stepped up with his leadership and his rebounding,” Schooler said. “So from a scoring standpoint, he’s been doing great, but he does all the little things that we need in order to win games.
“His basketball IQ really helps our offense because he gets the ball where it needs to go. He’s a very unselfish basketball player. … I’m really proud of him. He never misses. He gives you everything he has because he wants to make the most out of this year.”
Manley averaged 3.2 points in a limited role off the bench last season, his first at Bishop Noll after transferring from Hammond Academy. The Warriors had six seniors on that roster, and four of them are playing in college. They accounted for 51.4 of the team’s 59.0 points per game.
Manley made significant strides during the offseason, helping to fill the void this season.
“He’s been working really hard,” Schooler said. “He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve seen, and that’s including the kids last year. He works his tail off.”
Schooler, a 2006 Bishop Noll graduate who set the program’s single-season and career records for 3-pointers and was part of the 2004 sectional championship team, was an assistant last season.
“He’s a great guy,” Manley said. “He was cool last year, welcoming me as a transfer. We’ve had a connection since last year. He was really encouraging. He pushes us to do better every day.
“It was a good transition. It was smooth. I was welcomed in.”
Manley also has a connection with senior guard/forward Khalel Johnson, who is averaging a team-high 16.5 points. Johnson started last season, but his role has expanded dramatically. Manley and Johnson are two of the team’s four captains.
“It’s been a pleasure playing with him,” Johnson said. “We’ve been playing with each other since we were little kids, like 9, 10 years old. He’s always been a great shooter and just a great teammate to have. I can depend on him. Some games I’m low and he’s high, and vice versa, and it’s great to have him. He’s a great asset to the team. He’s a great leader.”
An injury prevented Manley from playing much for Hammond Academy. During a game midway through his freshman season, he suffered a broken right tibia. He was going up for a layup on a fast break, and an opponent attempted to block his shot.
“I landed weird,” Manley said. “The way I hit the ground, my leg just went through. The bone was sticking out. But it was a clean break.”
Manley had three screws inserted in his leg during surgery and was sidelined for almost a year. He returned midway through his sophomore season and needed time to round back into form.
“I worked in the pool, did resistance training, weightlifting,” Manley said. “My leg was really skinny. It looked like two different people. I was just trying to get my muscle back.”
With a retooled roster, Bishop Noll has won back-to-back conference titles. In a realigned Class 3A sectional, the Warriors figure to be challenged to go back-to-back on that front.
But Manley will continue to do everything in his power to maximize the season.
“We all know how to work together and push each other,” he said. “We’re all working hard every day. We’re all together. We’re all cool with each other on and off the court. It’s like a brotherhood, not just teammates. It’s a family.”
