Wichita State men’s basketball head coach Isaac Brown wanted to keep the 13th scholarship open in case an opportunity presented itself. That opportunity came to fruition last Thursday with the signing of high school forward Isaac Abidde to round out the roster. 

Abidde will reclassify to the 2021 class after taking an official visit last Monday. 

“I had a really good relationship with Coach Brown and it was a month and I already had a good relationship with coach,” Abidde said. “I came here and met the coaching staff and they were all good people. It just felt like the place to be.”

Brown said that Abidde’s unique versatility was something they couldn’t pass up for the final spot. 

“Isaac is super-athletic, shoots the three well, blocks shots and can guard the one-through-four positions,” Brown said in a statement. “He’s also a great kid, who I think can help our program. To get a guy of his caliber, this late in the recruiting process is a major win for us.”

Abidde flew on the radar on many of the major recruiting services prior to his commitment. He was a three-star recruit and the No. 43 center according to Rivals. He held offers from East Carolina, Mississippi State, Kent State, Butler and Virginia Commonwealth. 

“It’s pretty exciting, I love it here,” Abidde said. “I’m glad I chose to come here.”

Abidde will have the opportunity to learn from a couple veterans at the forward positions with Joe Pleasant and Morris Udeze entering their fourth collegiate seasons. 

Abidde said his goal is to work his way into the rotation as the season progresses.

“He wants me to play the three and the four and I think I’m probably going to end up coming off the bench and getting a couple minutes to play every game. I’m going to try and work my way up.”

Abide said the city of Wichita and the fanbase have been supportive following his commitment. 

“It’s been all love,” Abidde said. “They’ve welcomed me to the city, everybody comes up to me and greets me and shakes my hand. It’s just been a lot of love.”

During this past high school season, Abidde helped lead Westover High School to the semifinals, while also earning first team all-class honors. He had plans of attending prep school before his commitment to WSU.

Abidde said that part of what he can bring to the table is the ability to guard multiple positions.

“I just know that I can shoot the ball pretty good, I’m pretty athletic and I can guard the three through the five. I think I need to get a little stronger to guard the five better.”

Abidde, an Albany, Georgia native, grew up less than two hours away from sophomore forward Clarence Jackson. Abidde said that Jackson and the rest of his teammates have been very welcoming since his commitment.

“They’ve all welcomed me with open arms,” Abidde said. “I’ve just been bonding with them, we went to a team dinner last night and we bonded. We’ve just been hanging around and doing stuff.”

Abidde will have to make up for his lost time in WSU’s strength and conditioning program because of his last commitment. He comes to WSU just under 200 pounds and said one his goals this season is to get stronger. 

“I just plan to get stronger, maybe get around 215, I’m 198 right now,” Abidde said. “I just want to get better every day.”