Isaiah and Evan Mobley used to play one-on-one against each other in the driveway at home. But as they reached the end of middle school and beginning of high school, they soon realized this wasn’t a good idea.
Isaiah, the elder of the two by a year, always had a slight height advantage. But Evan had a four-inch growth spurt when he reached eighth grade. The evening height and each brother’s competitiveness soon made individual matchups untenable.
“When we both got into high school, we stopped playing just because it would get too out of hand,” Isaiah said. “It’s not necessarily that healthy. Around seventh or eighth grade, it started getting extremely competitive and it turned into shoving matches.”
In the end, they were better as teammates. But even that chapter must conclude eventually, and the Mobleys are nearing that point.
USC has provided one last opportunity for the Mobleys to play together, with their father, Eric, serving as an assistant coach. Evan is projected to be a top pick in the NBA draft this summer, and his departure at the end of his freshman season has been treated by most as a forgone conclusion.
And while Isaiah will eventually follow his brother to the NBA, there’s no guarantee they will get to suit up together again at the next level. So with one game left in USC’s regular season, on Saturday against UCLA, the Mobleys are trying to enjoy the moment together as a family.
“The end is near,” said Isaiah, a 6-foot-10 sophomore. “No matter what happens after this, we’ll always have these years together.”
“While I’m in it, I’m probably not appreciating it as much,” 7-foot Evan added. “But after when I realize what I had, I’m probably gonna be like, ‘Dang, that was amazing to have an experience like that.’”
Early years
Isaiah and Evan first played on the same team together in elementary school. It was a league where parents had to be on the court to help guide their children. After one season, Eric took over as the coach of the team.
In some games, Eric would hold Evan in his arms. The younger brother felt a little shy playing with kids Isaiah’s age despite being the same height as many of the players.
“We had to move on because Isaiah was too big and tall and very aggressive,” Eric recalled. “Parents were getting upset because he was knocking the kids down.”
It was usually the case that Evan would play up a year to be on the same team as his brother. Even when he didn’t, the Mobleys would play within the same club program so they still practiced together.
In 2012, Eric founded his own organization, Triple Threat, so that he could let his sons play multiple positions rather than be stuck in the post due to their height.
After middle school, Isaiah and Evan enrolled at Rancho Christian High in Temecula and in the summers would play for the Compton Magic AAU program.
It was with those Compton Magic teams, where Eric also served as a coach for the 16-and-under squad, that the Mobleys had the most fun.
There was the on-court success. Like the summer before Isaiah’s senior year of high school, when the Mobleys combined with former USC center Onyeka Okongwu to win the Adidas Gauntlet championship, and then beat Team Takeover in Las Vegas to claim the mythical AAU national championship.
But there were also the type of shenanigans that happen when kids travel together.
“Playing pranks on each other in the hotel, throwing cold water on someone while they sleep,” Isaiah said. “Or we all went to Cabo and just playing in the ocean, some of us could swim well and some of us couldn’t.”
College days
One by one, the Mobleys arrived at USC. Eric was hired as an assistant coach in 2018. Isaiah enrolled for the 2019-20 season, and Evan joined this year to complete the triumvirate.
The Trojans (20-6, 14-5 in conference play) are currently in second place in the Pac-12, with the chance to win the regular-season league title. If USC were to beat the Bruins in Pauley Pavilion on Saturday, then the Trojans would need Oregon State to upset first-place Oregon on Sunday. The Beavers have won four of the last five against the Ducks, so USC does have hope.
The Mobley brothers, who are rooming together this year, have played a big role in USC’s success. Evan leads the team in scoring (16.2 points per game), rebounding (8.5) and blocks (2.85), while Isaiah is averaging 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
All the years playing together are evident as they start beside each other for the Trojans. In the first game of the season, they assisted each other on three baskets, half as many as they had in the Arizona State game two weeks ago.
It’s not dissimilar to the past 15 or so years, with Isaiah and Evan on the court and Eric as a coach. The biggest difference is this year their mom, Nicol, has had few opportunities to see them play in person due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“Whenever I look around, it’s definitely a difference,” Isaiah said.
There’s still a sense of a ticking clock. One regular season game left, then the Pac-12 Tournament next week in Las Vegas, then the NCAA Tournament, where USC’s success will determine how long the Mobleys get to play together.
Then this chapter will likely close, with the NBA and a professional career looming for the boys.
“I just try to stay in the now and not really think about the future too much,” Evan said.
But they’re trying to gather as many videos and photos as possible for future reminiscing.
“I try to record as much as I can. They don’t like it, but it’s all memories,” Eric said. “Because later on when we have these grandkids, I want them to sit down in their lap and say, ‘See your dad?’ And just crack up about these experiences that are moving right in front of us today.”
USC (20-6, 14-5) at UCLA (17-7, 13-5)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Pauley Pavilion
TV/Radio: CBS/AM 790
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