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Frederick’s Elize takes basketball skill to Wyoming

Steve Smith
Posted 5/11/21

                Frederick High School basketball player Izayah Elize was looking for something fairly simple as he searched …

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Frederick’s Elize takes basketball skill to Wyoming

Posted
Frederick High School basketball player Izayah Elize was looking for something fairly simple as he searched for a college. 
“Eastern Wyoming (Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Wyoming) was the school who showed that they cared about me and understood my goals the most,” said Elize, who announced his college commitment on Twitter May 10. 
Elize averaged 16 points, six rebounds and two assists a game for a Warriors team that advanced to the first round of the state 4A playoffs this winter.
“I took a visit a few weeks back, and I met the players and played some pickup,” Elize said. “The campus was nice, and it had everything I needed. I had other schools, but this one just felt right.” 
Brandon Brown, the club basketball director at Colorado Anarchy and the coach for its 17U program, said Elize played for club programs before latching on with the Anarchy. 
“He never found his niche. But we bonded well,” Brown said. “I just gave him the green light. I knew he had a special skillset. I told him if he was going to blossom, he needed to be OK making tough shots and that I would be OK with him if he made them or if he missed them.” 
Elize played in the state tournament the two years he spent on the varsity roster. He also waded his way through a pandemic as he sampled colleges. 
“A lot of schools would just go ghost or pull back after weeks of recruiting, mostly because scholarships are short this year,” Elize said. The NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility for seniors in the class of 2020 because of the pandemic. 
“I’m just incredibly proud of Izayah,” said his high-school coach, Enoch Miller. “He goutht through a lot of adversity over his four years at Frederick. As a freshman, our team won one game the entire season, so Z went from that to two straight seasons over .500, including playoff appearances in his last two seasons.”
“He had a bunch of offers. I think Westminster (Westminster University in Utah) was one of them,” Brown said. “Ultimately, he thought the JUCO route was the best. He has a great relationship with the coaches. The campus made him feel like he was at Frederick High School.” 
Elize isn’t sure what he wants to study or what he wants to do after he leaves school and finishes what he hopes will be a career in the NBA. 
“I’m hungry. I’ve got something to prove going into college,” Elize said. “Playing in Region 9 Juco, I believe that I will get the best recruitment to be able to play (NCAA) Division 1. In a year or two. I want to put Frederick on the map and make it as far as I can after I leave Eastern Wyoming.” 
Miller said Elize worked through some injury issues.
:He grinded to earn this scholarship opportunity,” Miller said. “He truly loves the game and is super motivated to continue his career. I am confident he will be successful moving forward.”
“I’m not surprised,” Brown said. “He’s in the gym 24/7. He’s constantly working. His parents put a weight room in the basement. The underrated part is he had learning disorders and struggled the first two years in high school. He revamped his learning structure and was on the honor roll the last two years he was in high school.
“That’s what I’m most proud of.” 

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