January 29, 2025
South Lake High Junior Isaiah Pina Drawing College Interest with Standout Season
By Kyle Coppola
South Lake High Junior Isaiah Pina Drawing College Interest with Standout Season
GROVELAND, Fla. — South Lake High School junior Isaiah Pina is putting together a season to remember, leading the Eagles with dominant performances on both ends of the court. The junior forward is averaging an impressive 24.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, propelling South Lake to a 14-9 record.
Pina, who recently joined the prestigious 1,000-point club as a junior, has scored 412 points this season while shooting an efficient 55% from the field. Defensively, he has been just as impactful, leading the team with 30 blocked shots.
(Isaiah Pina has been nothing short of spectacular in his junior season. (Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
South Lake head coach Stephen McLeod, now in his sixth year at the helm, has transformed the Eagles into a perennial contender. Under his leadership, the program has averaged at least 16 wins per season over the past five years. McLeod credits Pina’s unselfish mentality as a key factor in the team’s success.
“Isaiah is the consummate teammate,” McLeod said. “He doesn’t care about his stats—he just wants to win. He’s got a legitimate shot at reaching 2,000 career points by the end of his senior year.”
Pina’s standout play has drawn interest from college programs, including Embry-Riddle, Tulane, and Mercer and that list is expected to grow with his continued success.
(David Pina who is a senior has also been a standout for South Lake High averaging 10.6 rebounds per game. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
Adding to the Eagles’ strong season is senior David Pina, who has also been a force on the court. David is averaging 10.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Overall South Lake High School is competing against good competition. They have had close battles with Apopka High and have quality wins over teams like Hope Academy and East Ridge High. They also have had close games against Leesburg High and Eusits High recently. This team has come a long way and is now challenging some of the area’s top programs and doing it on a yearly basis.
(Isaiah Pina dunks the ball against Leesburg High during a recent game. Photo Credit – Joe Ott.)
The last time South Lake High made the FHSAA State Tournament was 2022. South Lake High is in a very tough district this year. They will have to contend with Edgewater, Evans, Lake Minneola and East River come district time. The past two years South Lake High has been eliminated in the District Semifinal. Could this be the year they get over the hump and make the District Championship?
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
