We are back with another The Basketball Movement Stamp of Approval, this time for Isaac Haney.
For only being a senior at Kickapoo High, Isaac Haney has been tearing up basketball courts for a long time already. His fierce determination to win, willingness to work on his game, and on-and-off court tenacity have earned him The Basketball Movement Stamp of Approval from Rob Yanders.
The former Missouri Class 1 Player of the Year at Dora, Haney is now at class 5 Kickapoo and proving that he belongs. Anyone that has seen him in action, with Yanders Law or otherwise, is not surprised. Now, Haney has officially signed on to become a Missouri State Bear.
“It feels really great,” Haney tells The Basketball Movement about becoming a Bear. “A lot of my life has gone into the game of basketball. I’ve had a lot of people in my life behind me - helping and supporting. I don’t think that it’s the end, it’s definitely far from the end for me, but it did feel like 15 years of my life coming to a point where I could look back and be thankful.”
Asked about what made him gravitate towards MSU hoops, Isaac says that being close allowed him to watch them and get a feel for their style of play. “The location is great for me with my parents living in Springfield now and the rest of my family in West Plains,” Haney says. “Also something I was looking into studying was business - Missouri State has an amazing business department.”
“I’ve been talking with Coach Rob (Yanders) about what the college basketball atmosphere is like and I can see how some of my workouts with him have changed,” Haney says. “He has done an excellent job of preparing me for the transition of that little kid stage of high school basketball to what I have to do to be effective at the next level.”
When asked what will make him a valuable player for MSU, Isaac said that he believed confidence translates to any level of the game of basketball. “Anytime that you have a kid that can step on the floor and bring a calm and confidence to the team that you can win anytime you’re on the floor, I feel like I can translate that anywhere I am.”
“Also, I’ve won at any level I’ve been at,” Haney continues. “Just competing and bringing a competitive edge as soon as I step in the doors is something that I’ll bring to the team.”
That competitive edge is what Isaac considers to be his biggest takeaway from his time at The Basketball Movement. “I found my competitive edge here,” Haney says. “I can attribute a couple of my workouts when I was younger, working out with Anton (Brookshire), we had some competitive workouts - something that tuned my mindset, conversations with Rob that have tuned my mindset, figuring out what it takes to be mentally tough to the point of having a mental edge over other players.”
“I think The Basketball Movement has prepared my mentality just as much as it has prepared my physical basketball game.”
To Coach Rob Yanders and The Basketball Movement trainers, Haney had one simple thing to say: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart.” He says that Coach Rob likely does not even realize how much of his confidence stems from the work and belief he put into him.
“All the other guys here that may go unnoticed, even guys that have moved on,” Haney continued. “The coaches here bring the energy every single day. Anytime you came in here and maybe didn’t feel like going hard, they made sure that you did. I can honestly say that even if I wanted to cheat myself, the coaches here made sure that I didn’t.”
From the other side, we at The Basketball Movement can confidently say that Isaac Haney would not have cheated himself with or without us watching. He is a tireless worker and someone you certainly want on your side from the opening tip. That is why he has earned our Stamp of Approval.
Good luck to Isaac as he finishes his senior season and eyes new beginnings playing D1 hoops for Missouri State University. We are fortunate to have our name attached to you on your journey.
Stamped.
Approved.