11/24/2014

1. Isiah Stokley
If you look up Isiah Stokley’s Twitter profile (@stoke_4success), you’ll read how he’s
“just a normal person from Queens trying to make something out of nothing!” Even
his Twiter handle showcases the Long Island University guard’s mission for success
at basketball and at life.
The 6’4” Stokley has always had basketball on the mind, growing up in Queens, NY
right across from a basketball court while living in Baisley projects (in South
Jamaica Queens, NY). “All my friends loved playing basketball all day,” he describes.
“We would play from the morning until the street lights came on. Basketball was the
way to stay out of trouble. Most kids played video games all day, but I just wanted to
play basketball with my friends.”
Stokley’s love for the game may have started at an early age, but it wasn’t until he
went to a local basketball camp called B.A.K.E., short for “Brothers Against Killing
Each Other, did he learn to perfect his skills and was the first time he’d ever wear a
basketball uniform – something he now wants to wear for life. “I felt a apart of
something and gained knowledge of the game. After the camp, I just knew that I
wanted to be a basketball player.”
And because he was serious about his passion for basketball, he’d wake up at 6 a.m.
everyday to get a few rounds on the court to sharpen his skills. “I hated to lose, and I
hated the fact that people were better than me or that I didn’t get picked up to play.”
According to Stokley, he wasn’t the most talented kid growing up, which really
pushed him to work harder, spending hours upon hours to perfect his game. “Hard
work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard,” he mentions, which has become
his mantra.
He also credits many of his coaches for keeping him in the gym and credits them for
his current success, specifically naming coaches like Rob Moses, JR (Team Price),
Loyd, Rob Diaz, Ben Thomas, Allan Plummer, and high school coach John Ulmer.
Because of their support and encouragement, Stokley was able to excel during his
time at Thomas Edison High School, where he helped the Inventors to a pair of
postseason appearances. His biggest achievement of his basketball career thus far is
having his high school jersey retired. “I went from not making a varsity team to
leading the city in scoring,” he details.
The LIU junior has been busy helping his fellow Pioneers win games to hopefully
win a conference championship this year and next (as well as a national
championship) and continues to be a team leader. “If not vocally, I do it by example
like scoring, defending, slashing to the basketball and more,” he says. And as he
leads by example, he’s always working on improving his own skills, mentioning that
needs to become a more consistent shooter overall.
As he works everyday to strengthen and improve his talent, he’s also busy studying
hard as he majors in public relations. Not only does he hope to make it to the NBA,

2. but Stokley also hopes to become a successful entrepreneur. “I'm just trying to get
better everyday at something.”