Isa Silva is Stanford-bound. What makes the area’s next great point guard unique?

Since he was 4 years old, Isa Silva’s constant companion has been a basketball.

Now a 6-foot-3 junior at Jesuit High School, Silva grew up around the game. He dedicated his life to it. Last week, Silva’s commitment to Stanford ensured his relationship with the sport will continue.

“Their vision for me and the program (is what stood out),” Silva said. “Before I made the decision, I told my parents I wanted it to be a basketball decision. The school itself was the biggest cherry on top that anyone could ask for. I wanted to go to a place that really valued me and would help me develop into an NBA player.”

Silva’s extended family has ties to Stanford. His aunt Eva and three cousins graduated from Stanford. Silva’s grandfather, Rafael Silva, had his oral history as a bracero immigrant archived at Stanford University’s Special Collections and University Archives. Silva’s cousin Josue Gil-Silva has been his best friend since birth. Gil-Silva serves as a team manager for Stanford’s basketball program.

Stanford is well known for its academics and Silva will have no problem in that department. He carries a 4.2 GPA. Though he is unsure what he will major in at Stanford, Silva says basketball is his calling.

“I want to play in the NBA as long as I can,” Silva said. “After that, I want to stay in basketball. Whether that’s being a coach or being in the front office for an NBA team, that’s my goal.”

A four-star recruit from immigrant roots

Silva still has his prep career to finish. He is ranked as a four-star recruit in the 2021 class, according to Rivals. He has crafty handles and a silky jump shot. Several of his Ballislife mixtapes, which feature highlights for some of the top basketball players in the country, have gone viral on Instagram and YouTube.

“There was a couple of times this year that I was sitting between two of my assistants and we would try and keep a straight face (when Isa would make a big play),” Jesuit basketball coach Tim Kelly said. “There were a handful of times this year that we would have to elbow each other on the bench and say, ‘Did you see that?” When those moments happen, you just have to sit back and enjoy them.”

Before the mixtapes and hype began, he learned how to work hard. Both of his grandparents immigrated from Mexico and worked on farms.

“I see how hard my parents and grandparents worked to get what they got,” Silva said. “It makes me want to work even harder. One day I want to make sure they don’t have to work anymore. Both sides of my family worked so hard to get here.”

Silva learned how to play basketball in the backyard. He and his dad, Francisco, would spend hours outside learning how to shoot.

“I grew up knowing only how to shoot through elementary and middle school,” Silva said. “We had a court that had turf on it, so my dad and I would just shoot. Since I started playing when I was 4 years old, we always went through the fundamentals. That’s about the time I ended up falling in love with the game.”

Francisco Silva played at Alisal High School in Salinas but chose not to play in college. His father, Rafael, was a big soccer fan. Isa Silva played soccer until he was in the fourth grade but then chose to focus on basketball.

“My dad is a soccer fan so he was not happy when we transitioned to basketball,” Francisco Silva said with a laugh. “We are a total basketball family now.”

Isa’s mom, Soyla Fernandez also had a major basketball influence in his life. She played at Colusa High School.

Silva’s commitment video to Stanford on Instagram has over 100,000 views.

“My mother and queen, you have been my biggest supporter and biggest critic,” Silva said in his commitment video. “One who knows how much I love the game and how big my dreams are. You support and push me toward excellence every day. Your toughness lives through me. You work so hard for the people you love and one day I’ll make sure you can relax and be treated like the queen you are.”

Training with a Sacramento flavor

At 10, Silva met his current trainer and role model Rashid Cann. Cann played for four years at Norfolk State University and also played for the British Virgin Islands National Team.

“I’m like his older brother,” Cann said. “We just connected. I wanted to mentor him like a big brother. I have been through a lot of this stuff, not on his scale, but been though trying to grind while making a name for myself. It’s important to have that older role model that you can relate to.”

Cann has worked with local basketball players such as Noah Blackwell, Jordan Brown, Elijah Duplechan, Isaiah Duplechan, Jordan Ford, Tyrell Roberts, Bryce Pressley and Kai Tease. As Silva got older, he started to participate in group workouts with them — even though he was several years younger.

“They never eased up on him,” Cann said with a laugh. “I made that clear that if we have someone in our training sessions that is smaller or younger, that when it came to (one-on-one games) they didn’t take it easy. He was like a little bro to those guys. They pushed him, they fouled him and talked crazy to him. The thing I love about Isa is he’s just so fiery. He never backed down.

“He would run through the walls because he would be so excited to be in the gym,” Cann added. “He works so hard. He loves the gym and he loves to study. Isa is a student of the game and is adamant about perfection. He asks all types of questions that even make me think.”

Silva said the older players continue to mentor him, though they don’t often play against each other.

“I talk to those guys all the time, they really push me,” Silva said. “Luckily I found a group that really believed in me. They never took it light on me. They really pushed me to get better. Shine is a part of my family. He means a lot to my parents and parents mean a lot to him.”

One of Silva’s proudest moments of his basketball career was getting to represent Mexico in the Basketball Without Borders camp, which is the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program. The event took place in Colombia.

“I got to play against some of the best players from different countries,” Silva said. “I was able to represent Mexico and I had a really fun time being a part of that.

Players with Mexican roots that have been or currently in the NBA include Mark Aguirre, Devin Booker, Kaleb Canales and Cedric Ceballos. The list of players with links to Mexico is neither long nor filled with All-Stars, perhaps because the country is obsessed with soccer, like Rafael Silva.

But it’s that Mexican-American culture that’s fueling Isa Silva.

“I am really proud to be Mexcian-American,” Silva added. “I think (our culture) is something we should all be proud of. My parents are first-generation and I have a chip on my shoulder because of it and it makes me work harder. My grandparents on both sides still come to games and my dad always sends them clips. They are super supportive.”

Breakout season on defense

This past season at Jesuit, Silva led the Mauraders to a 22-10 record and averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds a game. He was named All-Metro first team. What his stats won’t show is how much he improved as a defender.

“This year we really changed his defensive mentality,” Kelly said. “There were a lot of times this year where we would have a disagreement on who he was guarding because I would purposely not put him on the best guard on the other team because I wanted to rest him early in the game, but his competitiveness took over. He wanted to guard that player and shut him down. Once we got in the playoffs, we turned him loose defensively.

“He has an edge to him that makes him good,” Kelly added. “He wants to prove he’s the best player in the gym all the time.”

Silva was also on the receiving end of chants from opposing crowds.

That’s when he played his best.

“He has the mental aspect of this game down pretty well,” Kelly said. “He stays calm for a teenager. When opposing crowds really started to get on him, that’s when he elevated his game. He was able to rise (to the occasion).”

The right mindset for success

Francisco takes great pride in how his son inspires others.

“As a parent, you sometimes worry about attention, but Isa has always stayed humble,” Francisco Silva said. “Little kids ask (Isa) to sign stuff often and that’s the part I’m really proud of, he will sign autographs and shake hands. Coming from Mexican roots, you have a lot of kids that see opportunity (in him) and they think if he can do it, I can too.”

Isa Silva is hoping next season he can take his team to new heights. For now, he is thinking about all the people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and how he can improve while sheltering in place.

“I’m praying for those that have been affected by the virus,” Silva said. “It’s sad what is going on right now. Mentally I have gotten a lot better as a person and player during this time. I can’t wait to play in a game (once this is over) to see the progress I’ve made. I want to bring my team to a new level next year. I want to win all the championships we can and do that with them. I’ll do whatever it takes. That’s important to me.”

He has his coach’s full support.

“Isa is so easy to root for, ”Kelly said. “He comes from such an amazing family. He’s humble, respectful and polite and he’s like that around campus and in the classroom. It’s what you would expect from a kid who gets a full-ride scholarship offer from Stanford. He works really hard in everything he does in life.”

This story was updated at 8:50 a.m. on May 14 to include information about Isa Silva’s mother.

This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 4:00 AM.