Coppin State men’s basketball senior Isaiah Gross recently chatted with PressBox about continuing his father’s legacy, his favorite thing about Coppin and more. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound guard averaged 3.4 points and shot 34.8 percent from 3-point range for the Eagles in 2022-23. He is a native of Lanham, Md., and graduate of Eleanor Roosevelt High School.
Gross’ uncle, Brian Butler, played basketball at Drake and Delaware State in the ’90s.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Isaiah Gross: I first started becoming interested in basketball, probably I’d say around maybe third or fourth grade. [I played football], but I ended up hitting a kid too hard and then I ended up getting hit myself, so kind of wanted to be like, “Man, I’m tired of being hit so hard. I’m tired of hitting people.” I feel like basketball came quicker because I didn’t really have a lot of good footwork for football, so I picked up a basketball and it kind of went well.
PB: Who was the biggest influence growing up?
IG: I’d have to say my two uncles, but professional influence in the league, it would be I would definitely say between Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson. But the everyday consistency, it would my uncles Brian Butler and Michael Tucker.
PB: What did your uncles teach you?
IG: They taught me how to be a dog. They taught me heart. That’s hard to come by, and they just taught me to make sure that my work ethic remains consistent.
PB: Why did you choose to go to Coppin State?
IG: I chose to go to Coppin because it was local and Juan Dixon was there when I was here. He was the head coach. Juan Dixon being the head coach definitely played a role. My dream was to be coached by a former NBA player, so once I found out that Juan Dixon was the head coach at Coppin, I kind of just jumped the gun on it.
PB: What’s your favorite memory from your time at Coppin so far?
IG: I would say my favorite memory so far from college would be my [redshirt freshman] year on my birthday [on Dec. 19, 2020]. We played against Virginia Tech. I had [a career-high 12 points].
PB: Your father, Recardo, passed away last September at the age of 55. What did it mean to play for him last year and what will it mean to continue to play with your dad’s memory in mind?
IG: What it means to me is I’m taking his legacy and rewriting the story, because my dad had a totally different life than me. My dad wasn’t really an athlete. He didn’t really do sports. My dad was a hunter, a dirt bike dude. He was a hobby guy. I feel like everything that I’m doing now is just a continuance of his and my legacy. He left behind a trash company with my family. … It was my grandfather’s, and my grandfather passed it down to my dad, and now my dad is going to pass it down to me. I just [don’t] want to drop the ball because I have a legacy to keep going.
PB: You graduate in the spring. What will it mean to get to the finish line at Coppin and be able to continue your dad’s legacy?
IG: I feel like that would be any young man’s American dream. I wish my dad could watch me cross the stage, but he was there to see me cross the stage in high school. I love my dad to death, but he didn’t have a high school education. So him just seeing me walk across the stage in high school, that’s a memory that I’ll never let die, either. And now, I just really wish he was still here, but I know he’s still with me and he’s still going to be smiling when next spring comes along, for sure.
PB: Coppin has a new head coach in Larry Stewart. How has working with him been? What should fans expect from your team?
IG: Coach Stew is an amazing man. I can say that for sure. It’s definitely different from having the type of coach that Juan Dixon was at first and making the adjustment, but I don’t think that that adjustment is going to be too hard to make because he’s a genuine coach and that’s hard to find. That’s just really hard to find in college basketball. … Coach Stew is actually catering to his players and actually being there for them. He’s still being a coach at the end of the day, but he’s definitely being a man at the same time so I definitely appreciate him for that.
PB: Your roster features a lot of new names. How challenging has it been to integrate so many new faces into the team this offseason?
IG: It hasn’t really been a challenge. It’s really just like how it is when you’re recruiting. People come and go. Some people stay. Some people get other opportunities. We’ve got four returners between me, Malik Battle, Luka Tekavcic and Greg Spurlock. I don’t think it’s really hard with the new faces or anything. I think we all have the same mindset, so it’s not going to be hard at all.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Coppin?
IG: I would probably say my favorite thing about Coppin is the compliance office upstairs, [with Dr. Nichole Person and Vera Carrington-Johnson]. Those two women, they are probably the two best women on this campus. I give my flowers to everyone on this campus, but those two women for sure. They’ve put me underneath their wings since I was a freshman and I’m a senior now, so I can really appreciate everything that they’ve done for me.
PB: How have they helped you?
IG: By freshman year, I was really stuck and didn’t really understand everything. … [Carrington-Johnson] helped me with my classes. She wouldn’t let me fail or let me get sidetracked or anything. My first year of college, it definitely was a later adjustment because you get too much freedom. You’re coming out of high school, [where] you’re walking in lines to class damn near sometimes. But coming to college my freshman year, I had so much freedom I didn’t know what to do and I kind of got behind. [Carrington-Johnson and Person] did not let that happen. I really can say that because of them, I got a 3.5 last semester. I’d say how available they are to just talk to and just be there as well. They’re not helping me with my work, don’t get me wrong.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
IG: He’s not even here. My best friend was Reggie James. He left two years ago. That was my guy.
PB: Who did you look up to early in your college career?
IG: I’ve got a couple people that I looked up to — DeJuan Clayton and Koby Thomas. When I was a freshman, DeJuan was a redshirt junior. He was the one that showed me the ropes with a couple of things. And then after Koby and I met, Koby put me underneath his wing, too, and showed me a couple things that I had never learned.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players?
IG: All I’ve got to say is college is a big place. It can chew you up, it can spit you out, it can swallow you whole. Just don’t get caught up in the wrong things and remember to always stay focused.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
IG: My goal is always to become a professional athlete, but my main goal is just financial stability and a stable life. Those are my main goals, for sure.
Photo Credit: Coppin State Athletics/Murphy Designs