We continue our off-season preview series of Liberty’s several newcomers. We have already looked at the additions of Taelon Peter and Jayvon Maughmer and continue today with a look at Isaiah Ihnen.
Liberty adds some top tier talent with addition of Isaiah Ihnen, a transfer from the University of Minnesota who was rated as a 4 star recruit by 247Sports coming out of Germany in 2019. He battled injuries while at Minnesota but showed off a promising skillset to compliment his physical gifts on the court. At 6’9 and 220 pounds, bets are being made by this LU coaching staff on real traits and skills, and I like the direction in which this vision seems to lead.
In limited minutes on the court for UM, Ihnen displayed an outside shooting touch that is highly coveted in forwards at this level of basketball. He shot 36.5% from three over the course of the season and 44.4% on unguarded attempts.He found most of his scoring volume off of weak side spot up threes but showed off some reps in the pick and pop that showed he could contribute in the two-man game.
His shot is quick and in rhythm every time he catches the ball and you can see the work he has put into fundamental shooting as a floor spacing forward. This size and spacing combination could be dynamic for the Flames inside and outside on both ends of the court, as his rebounding and versatile defensive skill really flashed in moments last season. There were several transition defensive possessions where he made plays to stop easy baskets being scored inside even when outnumbered. This could be a real tool against teams who look to overwhelm LU with size and/or athleticism.
Ihnen also showed an awareness for spending space as the counter to his teammate attacking the strong side of the court, allowing for inside shots where he had the leverage and size to finish strong. He also showed he could put the ball on the floor and muscle his way to the paint with his long strides and power. You can see the ability that brought him such high pedigree as a recruit.
Overall, Isaiah Ihnen had a good feel that produced a lot of positive possessions on the offensive end while being pretty dynamic on the defensive end. He wasn’t given the opportunity to do a whole lot in Minnesota but the talent is there, arriving with a style that matches up with a lot of what we’ve seen in various offenses under Ritchie Mckay. Size, shooting, and versatility continue to be the theme of the 2024 offseason acquisitions and their implementation into this already solid Flames team should be an exciting test.
