Eastmont’s Isaac Wellborn Is a Quiet Star In the Big Nine

2020 Eastmont small forward Isaac Wellborn has been a focal-point presence for one of the top teams in the Big Nine this season. 

At the midway point of the season, the 6-foot-2 senior is anchoring the Wildcats with 20 points and six rebounds per contest. He is well on his way to garnering his second First Team All League award, and is also in the running for Big Nine MVP.

Currently the Eastmont Wildcats are 8-4 and are in second place in the Big Nine. Wellborn believes they have the right pieces to make a playoff push.

“I really like how we’re playing right now,” Wellborn said. “I thought we’d be good and we are good. I think we’re the best team in the league.”

Eastmont has picked up some quality wins so far this season, including victories over rivals like Wenatchee, Moses Lake and A.C. Davis. With the Big Nine holding two state playoff berths this year, Eastmont is well on its way to securing one of those tickets.

Even though Wellborn plays like a superstar just about every single game, he doesn’t garner quite the same amount of attention as some of his other peers. When you think of the top players in the Big Nine, names like Jose Reyes, Earl Lee, Logan Kinloch, and Garrett Long might come to mind first.

This however doesn’t bother Wellborn much, as he is quick to deflect the credit onto his teammates. He said rising players like Evan Smith, Blake Silliman, and Wesley Mcilwaine have been instrumental in getting the team to where they are at this year.

While Eastmont is having a tremendous year, Wellborn does have memories from his early years in high school when Eastmont Hoops was not in a great place.

He made his varsity debut as a sophomore, and Eastmont went 4-16 and finished second to last in the league that season. Since then, the program has made an impressive 180-degree pivot.

"One of the big changes between now and then is that we are really focused in-game,” Wellborn said. “I just feel like we’re doing everything we need to do as a team.”

Wellborn, with his signature man bun, rail-thin frame and monotone playing style, might not dazzle you on the court. But he knows how to get the job done across the board. Occasionally, however, he will throw down a thunderous in-game dunk.

He is capable of doing this because of his elite-level vertical leap. His incredible jumping ability is likely what will help Wellborn earn an athletic scholarship at the next level.

There's a very good chance that scholarship won’t come in basketball, but actually in track and field. Wellborn did track for only the first time last season, and he fell in love with the sport.

“I really only did it because I got suspended at the end of basketball season, and didn’t want those games to carry into next basketball season,” Wellborn said. “But it turned out to be something that I really enjoy.”

As a high jumper, Wellborn finished third in state this past spring, with a six-foot, six-inch jump.

Right now he's in talks with college track programs like UC Irvine and Western Washington University, among others.

Even with the emergence of his track career, basketball is still the sport he’s been playing since he was a young kid. That’s still in the cards, so he’s been talking with schools like Yakima Valley College and North Idaho College.

As exciting as these future prospects are, right now Wellborn is locked in on his final year of prep basketball.

If Eastmont is to earn a state playoff berth this year, it’s likely Wellborn will need to play at his best ever down the stretch. He and his team have a great opportunity to make noise across the state this season.