Isaiah, the Lion Hearted

Isaiah Foster has long been known by a simple nickname – a nickname shared by his brother. Twin. Both brothers answered to the name, Twin. And both brothers became legends in the halls of Chattooga High School where they dominated the football field and the basketball court.

Isaiah, walks off Buddy Windle Field and into the history books as the all-time leading rusher with 4,378 rushing yards and was the first Indian running back in school history to have three consecutive 1,000 yard seasons. Isaiah ended his high school football career as the second all-time scorer in school history with 316 points (behind only his brother, Isaac, with 336 points).

On the basketball court, Isaiah was unmatched. Hitting the 1,000 point mark in his Junior season, Foster went on to become the all-time scoring leader with 1,469 points while tacking on 392 rebounds, 372 assists, 267 steals, 171 3-pointers made. His career totaled 76 wins and Foster led his team to the Elite 8 in his senior season.

After picking up scholarship offers in both sports, the Twins settled on Kennesaw State to play football together, but for Isaiah, the call of the hard court never left his heart. So when Coach Long came calling with a recruitment offer to play basketball for the Emmanuel College Lions in Franklin Springs, Georgia, Isaiah followed his heart which, for the first time in his young life, has led him to play not as a Twin…but as a Lion.

Emmanuel is a private, Christian, liberal arts college. In 2016, Emmanuel College was named a Top 50 Regional College by U.S. News & World Report for the 5th straight year. The college is a member of the NCAA Division II, primarily competing in the Conference Carolinas.

Foster is grateful for the opportunity. “I just want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity, my parents for believing in me and pushing me, and Jared and Rachel Groce for committing their lives to Chattooga Basketball and allowing me to get in the gym and work on my game. I’m extremely excited about becoming apart of the Emmanuel College basketball program and can’t wait to see where it leads me,” Foster said.

After checking into the Lion’s style of play, Foster is confident that he will find a place in the line up fairly quickly. “I feel Emmanuel is the best fit for me because, from the beginning, the coaches and I clicked. Also, I believe their style of basketball compliments my play. Going in, I’m starting off with a JV scholarship but, myself and the coaches believe I can come in right away and earn a spot on the varsity.”

The upcoming season will feature many changes for Foster. Battling for position in the lineup, adjusting to classes, workout & practice schedules and just being away from home are all major transitions for college freshmen/athletes. However, the transition will be especially harsh for the Twins. Isaiah will be playing on the first team in his life without his brother.

“This will be extremely difficult not having my twin by my side competing in a sport. However, we’re both going to be doing what we love. I know he’ll be working his butt off at KSU, which will make me work even harder at Emmanuel,” says Isaiah. After more than a decade of the deep mental connection shared by twins, utilized on the athletic fields, the twins will lean on their leadership and experience as solid teammates to bond with new faces. But their support for each other will continue. Isaiah sends a shout out to Isaac in preparation for the Owl’s upcoming season… “Run with it sac, I love you man,” Isaiah smiles. “He’ll know what that means.”

While his football days seem to be over, Isaiah has no regrets about his decision. “I’m glad I held out for basketball. I love the game and everything about it. The process did get frustrating at times and seemed very LONG… but I’m really excited and glad I’m gonna be competing at the next level playing basketball.”