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GopherHole Q&A: Nebraska Junior Big Man Brady Heiman Talks Recruiting, Relationship with Ben Johnson and Playing Against Oturu
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/794119?referrer_id=
Brady Heiman, a 6-foot-10, 195-pound junior center from Springfield (NE) Platteview, is one of the top big men in the Midwest.
Heiman averaged 15.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.8 blocked shots per game as a junior as he helped lead the Trojans to a 21-5 record, losing to Alliance 65-60 in the first round of the Nebraska Class B state tournament. He scored in double figures in all but two games and had five games of 20 or more points, including a season-high 25 versus Bishop Neuman. Heiman had six games of double figure rebounds and blocked eleven shots in a game.
Gopher Hole recently caught up with Heiman after playing in the Sanford Pentagon League in Maplewood to learn more about his Minnesota visit and early recruitment.
Gopher Hole: You have grown an inch since last year. Have you talked to your doctor about possibly growing more?
Brady Heiman: They said 6-11.
Gopher Hole: Your AAU team is off to a great start. You were 3-0 Saturday. How pleased are you with how well you have been playing this spring?
Brady Heiman: This spring has been really good. The first two games (in Maplewood), we were trying to get into a different style of play here. We were missing our point guard for this tournament. I am happy with our spring.
Gopher Hole: Where are you playing after this?
Brady Heiman: We will go to Omaha for the second part of this Pentagon.
Gopher Hole: What is the experience like playing in the Pentagon series, because you are playing against kids that you might play against in college. How do you think that helps your game?
Brady Heiman: Playing against some of the best shooters in the nation, I guess, because all these kids can shoot, you have to play defense. All of them can shoot, so you have to get out on defense.
Gopher Hole: How about your junior season. You had a good year and made it to the state tournament and lost in the first round. How pleased were with your junior season?
Brady Heiman: It was a good year. We got our school record for wins in a season. We got me and my teammate here (Nate Thayer, who averaged a team-best 20.9 points per game) and we return everybody for next year.
Gopher Hole: Is that something that you think with you and Nate coming back that you guys can go even farther next year?
Brady Heiman: Yes. We return all but one senior and our senior was sixth, seventh man. Our goal is to win it next year.
Gopher Hole: How about your own individual play. How pleased with how well you played this past year?
Brady Heiman: Other than that state game (he was held to four points and was just two of 13 from the field), I played pretty well. Right around 16 (points) and nine (rebounds) averages, so not bad. I think I can do a little bit better, coming up.
Gopher Hole: I think that you have three offers right now. South Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha and Drake is that right?
Brady Heiman: The Drake coach got fired. (Drake under former Minnesota assistant coach Niko Medved, re-offered an offer this week).
Gopher Hole: You were up to Minnesota earlier this year for a game. What game was that?
Brady Heiman: The Michigan game. They won in overtime.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Brady Heiman: I talk to Ben Johnson pretty weekly. I like them a lot. Good program.
Gopher Hole: What are they saying to you?
Brady Heiman: They like my versatility, playing the four or five on offense and defense.
Gopher Hole: The Gophers have a commitment from a 2018 big man Daniel Oturu. You played against him earlier this spring. What were your impressions of him?
Brady Heiman: Super athletic. Super good kid. I think that we lost by eight to their team. We were winning at halftime, I think. Give us another shot at them and we could pull one out.
Gopher Hole: Is that a guy that if you were to come to Minnesota that you could see yourself playing alongside of?
Brady Heiman: Oh, yeah. Definitely. A little inside-out game.
Gopher Hole: What things are you really working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Brady Heiman: A lot of footwork stuff. I lift like two times a week right now, trying to get stronger and do footwork.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a player?
Brady Heiman: Inside, if I can get to a right or left-hand hook, I am almost automatic with that. Defensively, I've lead the state of Nebraska for blocked shots, I think, three years in a row.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to any individual or college camps this summer?
Brady Heiman: I'm going to. I haven't decided which ones yet. I'll plan that out in June.
Gopher Hole: You were at a Nebraska game earlier this year. What was that experience like?
Brady Heiman: Some of the best fans in the country here in Nebraska. Their new stadium is pretty nice.
Gopher Hole: Would it be a dream to play at Nebraska, the home state school?
Brady Heiman: Home state school would be nice. I don't know exactly what I want to do yet after basketball, so I got to look at that, too.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides the two offers?
Brady Heiman: I am hearing from Drake again. Minnesota, Nebraska, Creighton, Wichita State, Cornell and a few others.
Gopher Hole: I know that you probably ways from making a college choice, but what are going to be the main factors that make you pick School A or School B or C?
Brady Heiman: First, look at the coaching, someone I can mesh with and academics-wise. See what I want to go into.
Gopher Hole: Was that the first time you had been to Minnesota's campus?
Brady Heiman: Yes.
Gopher Hole: What were your impressions of the campus and arena?
Brady Heiman: The campus was nice. We came up in the winter, I think, but it was still a nice day. It was like 60. The arena is retro. I like the lifted court. I got to shoot on that. Seems like anyone can shoot on their floor.
Gopher Hole: Do you come from an athletic family?
Brady Heiman: My dad was a Division II national champion high jumper in college (Chadron State) and he played a little bit of basketball and I have a little brother, who is coming up, so we'll see what he can do and see if he can help us this season.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are also a high jumper. Your best is 6-7. How do you think that helps you for basketball?
Brady Heiman: Probably just keeping shape, doing the track workouts after school every day.
Gopher Hole: What was your dad's all-time high?
Brady Heiman: 7-2.
Gopher Hole: Is that something that you would even try to pursue in college? Or is just too har timing-wise to do both?
Brady Heiman: It would be cool to do them both in college, but timing, yeah, would be hard.
Gopher Hole: You are going to be a four-year starter in high school. That is something that you have to be very proud about?
Brady Heiman: Yes. I remember my freshman year at tryouts. I waited around after thinking if I would make the team or not and the coaches told me to go home, I'm fine. I was so worried up until that.
Gopher Hole: You seem like a close group AAU-wise. Do you think that helps you a lot on the court?
Brady Heiman: Hanging out with the guys afterwards. I don't know what we will do tonight. Find something, go out to eat, but I definitely thinking being friends with all the guys helps.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to maybe have the opportunity to play Division I basketball?
Brady Heiman: That is every kid's dream growing up, so just realizing a dream.
By Chris Monter
http://www.gopherhole.com/news_article/show/794119?referrer_id=
Brady Heiman, a 6-foot-10, 195-pound junior center from Springfield (NE) Platteview, is one of the top big men in the Midwest.
Heiman averaged 15.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.8 blocked shots per game as a junior as he helped lead the Trojans to a 21-5 record, losing to Alliance 65-60 in the first round of the Nebraska Class B state tournament. He scored in double figures in all but two games and had five games of 20 or more points, including a season-high 25 versus Bishop Neuman. Heiman had six games of double figure rebounds and blocked eleven shots in a game.
Gopher Hole recently caught up with Heiman after playing in the Sanford Pentagon League in Maplewood to learn more about his Minnesota visit and early recruitment.
Gopher Hole: You have grown an inch since last year. Have you talked to your doctor about possibly growing more?
Brady Heiman: They said 6-11.
Gopher Hole: Your AAU team is off to a great start. You were 3-0 Saturday. How pleased are you with how well you have been playing this spring?
Brady Heiman: This spring has been really good. The first two games (in Maplewood), we were trying to get into a different style of play here. We were missing our point guard for this tournament. I am happy with our spring.
Gopher Hole: Where are you playing after this?
Brady Heiman: We will go to Omaha for the second part of this Pentagon.
Gopher Hole: What is the experience like playing in the Pentagon series, because you are playing against kids that you might play against in college. How do you think that helps your game?
Brady Heiman: Playing against some of the best shooters in the nation, I guess, because all these kids can shoot, you have to play defense. All of them can shoot, so you have to get out on defense.
Gopher Hole: How about your junior season. You had a good year and made it to the state tournament and lost in the first round. How pleased were with your junior season?
Brady Heiman: It was a good year. We got our school record for wins in a season. We got me and my teammate here (Nate Thayer, who averaged a team-best 20.9 points per game) and we return everybody for next year.
Gopher Hole: Is that something that you think with you and Nate coming back that you guys can go even farther next year?
Brady Heiman: Yes. We return all but one senior and our senior was sixth, seventh man. Our goal is to win it next year.
Gopher Hole: How about your own individual play. How pleased with how well you played this past year?
Brady Heiman: Other than that state game (he was held to four points and was just two of 13 from the field), I played pretty well. Right around 16 (points) and nine (rebounds) averages, so not bad. I think I can do a little bit better, coming up.
Gopher Hole: I think that you have three offers right now. South Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha and Drake is that right?
Brady Heiman: The Drake coach got fired. (Drake under former Minnesota assistant coach Niko Medved, re-offered an offer this week).
Gopher Hole: You were up to Minnesota earlier this year for a game. What game was that?
Brady Heiman: The Michigan game. They won in overtime.
Gopher Hole: What are you hearing from the Gophers?
Brady Heiman: I talk to Ben Johnson pretty weekly. I like them a lot. Good program.
Gopher Hole: What are they saying to you?
Brady Heiman: They like my versatility, playing the four or five on offense and defense.
Gopher Hole: The Gophers have a commitment from a 2018 big man Daniel Oturu. You played against him earlier this spring. What were your impressions of him?
Brady Heiman: Super athletic. Super good kid. I think that we lost by eight to their team. We were winning at halftime, I think. Give us another shot at them and we could pull one out.
Gopher Hole: Is that a guy that if you were to come to Minnesota that you could see yourself playing alongside of?
Brady Heiman: Oh, yeah. Definitely. A little inside-out game.
Gopher Hole: What things are you really working on to continue to improve yourself as a player?
Brady Heiman: A lot of footwork stuff. I lift like two times a week right now, trying to get stronger and do footwork.
Gopher Hole: What do you see as your strengths as a player?
Brady Heiman: Inside, if I can get to a right or left-hand hook, I am almost automatic with that. Defensively, I've lead the state of Nebraska for blocked shots, I think, three years in a row.
Gopher Hole: Are you going to any individual or college camps this summer?
Brady Heiman: I'm going to. I haven't decided which ones yet. I'll plan that out in June.
Gopher Hole: You were at a Nebraska game earlier this year. What was that experience like?
Brady Heiman: Some of the best fans in the country here in Nebraska. Their new stadium is pretty nice.
Gopher Hole: Would it be a dream to play at Nebraska, the home state school?
Brady Heiman: Home state school would be nice. I don't know exactly what I want to do yet after basketball, so I got to look at that, too.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing from besides the two offers?
Brady Heiman: I am hearing from Drake again. Minnesota, Nebraska, Creighton, Wichita State, Cornell and a few others.
Gopher Hole: I know that you probably ways from making a college choice, but what are going to be the main factors that make you pick School A or School B or C?
Brady Heiman: First, look at the coaching, someone I can mesh with and academics-wise. See what I want to go into.
Gopher Hole: Was that the first time you had been to Minnesota's campus?
Brady Heiman: Yes.
Gopher Hole: What were your impressions of the campus and arena?
Brady Heiman: The campus was nice. We came up in the winter, I think, but it was still a nice day. It was like 60. The arena is retro. I like the lifted court. I got to shoot on that. Seems like anyone can shoot on their floor.
Gopher Hole: Do you come from an athletic family?
Brady Heiman: My dad was a Division II national champion high jumper in college (Chadron State) and he played a little bit of basketball and I have a little brother, who is coming up, so we'll see what he can do and see if he can help us this season.
Gopher Hole: I know that you are also a high jumper. Your best is 6-7. How do you think that helps you for basketball?
Brady Heiman: Probably just keeping shape, doing the track workouts after school every day.
Gopher Hole: What was your dad's all-time high?
Brady Heiman: 7-2.
Gopher Hole: Is that something that you would even try to pursue in college? Or is just too har timing-wise to do both?
Brady Heiman: It would be cool to do them both in college, but timing, yeah, would be hard.
Gopher Hole: You are going to be a four-year starter in high school. That is something that you have to be very proud about?
Brady Heiman: Yes. I remember my freshman year at tryouts. I waited around after thinking if I would make the team or not and the coaches told me to go home, I'm fine. I was so worried up until that.
Gopher Hole: You seem like a close group AAU-wise. Do you think that helps you a lot on the court?
Brady Heiman: Hanging out with the guys afterwards. I don't know what we will do tonight. Find something, go out to eat, but I definitely thinking being friends with all the guys helps.
Gopher Hole: What would it mean to maybe have the opportunity to play Division I basketball?
Brady Heiman: That is every kid's dream growing up, so just realizing a dream.