Isaac Likekele

Isaac Likekele
Likekele with Ohio State in 2023
No. 13 – Kouvot
PositionPoint guard
LeagueKorisliiga
Personal information
Born (2000-02-25) February 25, 2000 (age 24)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolMansfield Timberview
(Arlington, Texas)
College
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–2024Fyllingen BBK
2024–presentKouvot
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2019 Greece Team

Isaac Likekele (born February 25, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Kouvot of Korisliiga. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg), he plays the point guard position. He played college basketball at Oklahoma State and Ohio State.

Early life

Likekele was born in Charlotte, North Carolina to Sarah and Serge Likekele.[1] He attended Mansfield Timberview High School, where in his senior year averaged 18 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists per game. In 2017, Likekele led his team to the Texas 5A state championship.[2] A three-star prospect, he was accepted to attend Oklahoma State University in May 2018.[3]

College career

Oklahoma State

As a freshman at Oklahoma State, Likekele averaged 8.7 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.[4] In November 2019, Oklahoma State won the NIT Season Tip-Off against Ole Miss; Likekele was named to the All-Tournament Team.[5] Despite missing most of December with an illness, Likekele posted three triple-doubles and had 21 points in the Big 12 Tournament first round win over Iowa State. In the 2019–20 season he played 28 games and started all of them, averaging 10.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and a team-high 4.5 assists per game. Likekele was named All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.[6]

Ohio State

On May 4, 2022, Likelele announced on Twitter that he was transferring to Ohio State.[7]

Professional career

After not being selected in the 2023 NBA draft, Likekele signed with Norwegian club Fyllingen BBK. He averaged 19.7 points, 12 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. On June 18, 2024, Isaac Likekele signed a one-season contract with Finnish club Kouvot.[8]

National team career

Likekele won a gold medal with the United States at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game.[9]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Oklahoma State 32 32 28.9 .466 .240 .657 4.8 3.9 1.3 .3 8.7
2019–20 Oklahoma State 28 28 32.4 .460 .214 .661 5.6 4.5 1.9 .4 10.9
2020–21 Oklahoma State 24 20 33.8 .482 .444 .570 6.6 3.6 1.1 .2 9.1
Career 84 80 31.5 .468 .298 .635 5.6 4.0 1.5 .3 9.6

Personal life

Likekele marks both of his sneakers with a black marker in honor of his deceased grandfather, his friend Criston King (who died in an automobile accident), and best friend John Lee. Likekele says, "Me going out there and playing like that is paying respects to them...".[10] Likekele has two sisters, Faith and Hope.

References

  1. ^ "Isaac Likekele - 2019-20 - Men's Basketball". Oklahoma State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  2. ^ "Isaac Likekele". www.usab.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  3. ^ "Isaac Likekele, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Point Guard". 247Sports. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  4. ^ Dwyer, Danielle (2019-07-17). "OSU's Isaac Likekele back from winning gold medal with USA Basketball". OKC Fox.com. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  5. ^ Hart, Hallie. "Cowboys dominate Ole Miss to win NIT Season Tip-Off in New York". O'colly.com. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  6. ^ Nagel, Cody (2020-04-20). "Report: Isaac Likekele to return to Oklahoma State next season". 247 sports. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
  7. ^ "Tweet". Twitter.
  8. ^ "Kouvot lands Isaac Likekele ex Fyllingen". Eurobasket. June 18, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  9. ^ "Isaac LIKEKELE". FIBA. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  10. ^ "'That's what I do it for': Why OSU guard Isaac Likekele is driven to honor lost loved ones with heart and sole". Oklahoman.com. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
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