Nebraska put an end to its drought of local scholarship players on Tuesday by picking up a commitment from 2018 Platteview center Brady Heiman.
At 6-foot-10.5 and 197 pounds, Heiman is the first member of the 2018 class for Nebraska. Heiman should be the first in-state player to sign with the Huskers out of high school in more than a decade-and-a-half.
Coach’s Comments
AAU coach Bob Franzese on Heiman’s performance playing on the Adidas Gauntlet:
“Brady really stood out. He was as good of a shot-blocker as anybody, he really rebounded it well and he scored in a lot of different ways at a pretty high clip. He really stepped up against the best competition.”
Franzese on why Nebraska pulled the trigger after watching him all spring and summer:
“In talking with those guys, I think they are excited about where Brady’s at now, but even more so his high ceiling. I think they feel like he can really be an impact player here down the road once he gains some weight and gets in the weight room and starts eating as he should.”
Franzese on where Heiman has improved the most over the last three years:
“His mental toughness, he’s just a much tougher kid than he was when we got him a few years ago; that’s No. 1. Just his overall skill level, Coach [Tim] Brotzki has done a great job with him at Platteview and the time he has spent with Cody Levinson [of Going Vertical] has really paid off. He has a number of things he can go to offensively: Fifteen-footer, 3-point shot, hook shot going both ways; it’s pretty incredible. He has certainly put in the time and it certainly paid off.”
High School Accomplishments
As a junior, Heiman averaged 15.7 points, 8.9 rebounds and 4.8 blocks as Platteview went 21-5 and qualified for the Class B State Tournament.
As a sophomore, Heiman flirted with a triple-double, averaging 13 points, 10.1 rebounds and 7.4 blocks. Platteview went 16-9 and made state.
He earned all-state honorable mention each of his last two seasons.
Heiman played varsity right away as a freshman, putting up 7.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game as Platteview finished 13-11, the team’s first season above .500.
Highlights
This highlight video is almost two years old as it comes from his sophomore season, but it still shows some of what Heiman can do. He’s added a significant amount to his game since this season.
http://www.hudl.com/v/26UcSF
Analysis
Heiman is first and foremost a tremendous rim-protector who has racked up 403 blocked shots in 71 career games in high school. His height is a tremendous asset for him in this area, but it’s not the only reason for his productivity. He has incredible shot-blocking instincts and does a good job of staying vertical and blocking shots mid-air rather than swinging at every shot and getting into foul trouble.
He does not have a particularly long wing-span, and that will likely limit how much of his shot-blocking will translate to the next level, but even so he projects to be a strong defensive presence.
Heiman is incredibly mobile for a near-7-footer. He moves his feet well and should grow into a solid pick-and-roll defender, and that mobility allows him to rebound outside of his area as well. He can also run the floor better than most players of his height, making him a threat in transition.
Heiman has come a long way offensively over the last three years, but he still has a lot of polishing to do before he will be a consistent offensive threat at the major college level. He is starting to stretch the range on his shot out to the 3-point line, but he’s not a high-percentage game shooter yet, and he’s just a 53-percent career free-throw shooter. He has worked hard to develop his hook shot in the post, but he is streaky with it at this point. He’ll have games where he struggles to finish around the basket.
He has become a solid passer, and he can also face up and put the ball on the deck a couple of times to get to the rim and finish. As he’s grown stronger, he has become much more of an above-the-rim player, dunking aggressively every chance he gets.
Weighing in under 200 pounds, Heiman will most likely need a redshirt season once he sets foot on campus. However, with three years of eligibility remaining for center Jordy Tshimanga, the Huskers can afford to be patient with Heiman. If he can polish up the wide array of skills he’s shown over the next two years, he can develop into a Big Ten rotation player, and by the time Tshimanga moves on Heiman could be ready to step into his shoes.
Jacob Padilla has been writing for Hail Varsity since 2015. He covers football, volleyball men’s basketball and prep sports. He also co-hosts the Nebraska Preps Postgame and Nebraska Shootaround podcasts for the Hurrdat Media and Hail Varsity podcast networks. His love of basketball can best be described as an obsession and if you need to find him, he’s probably in a gym somewhere watching, coaching or playing hoops.
