Brayden Maldonado Joins Other Redhawks in Transfer Portal, Seattle U Lands Division II Star
In the second week of the transfer portal being open for men’s college basketball, the Seattle Redhawks had four more players jump into the portal and coach Chris Victor made his first splash in landing a Division II Conference MVP.
Leading the Redhawks averaging 14 points per game as a senior, Brayden Maldonado entered the transfer portal Saturday with hopes of earning an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA. That request will still need to be granted, which isn’t a given, but the Second Team All-WCC selection will likely garner a lot of attention if he receives another year as one of the top point guards available.
With Maldonado most likely out the door and not expected to play an additional year of eligibility in Seattle, the Redhawks made a significant addition on Saturday morning to help replace him in landing redshirt sophomore Kaden Hansen.
Seattle U’s Offseason Begins with Trio of Redhawks Entering Transfer Portal
Since the Seattle Redhawks season ended two weeks ago at the hands of the Auburn Tigers in the NIT, the program has had three players enter the transfer portal looking for new teams for the 2026-27 season.
Senior guard John Christofilis became the first Redhawk to officially enter the portal Tuesday. Still with one year of eligibility remaining, he appeared in 35 games and averaged 6.5 points on 38% from three-point range in 16 minutes per game.
This season, Christofilis saw a decrease in playing time from the previous two seasons. In both his sophomore and junior seasons, he started 25 games and played averaged over 25 minutes per game. While he served as a spark off the bench, scoring double digits in nine games, the senior lost opportunities to Jojo Murphy, who became the first guard off the bench for coach Chris Victor.
Redhawks Begin Offseason by Retaining Will Heimbrodt
Less than a week after the Seattle U Redhawks season ended at the hands of the Auburn Tigers in the NIT, the most important domino already fell in the right direction to kick off the program’s offseason.
Announced via social media, the Redhawks have resigned standout forward Will Heimbrodt, who won’t enter the transfer portal. Heimbrodt has two more years of eligibility and will stay in the Emerald City for his redshirt junior season as the team’s top returning scorer.
Heimbrodt became a full-time starter for the Redhawks this season and made the most of it. He finished averaging 12 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game on 42% shooting from the field. While there were notably moments where he struggled to juggle an increased shot creating responsibility as a key part of coach Chris Victor’s offense, he played his best basketball late in the year as the team advanced to the second round of the NIT.
Redhawks Give Tigers Last-Minute Scare, Fall Short in 91-85 NIT Loss
In the final minutes of Seattle U’s matchup against Auburn, the Redhawks nearly sucked the life out of Neville Arena. Five straight baskets by the underdog almost secured a miraculous come from behind win in NIT action.
But Seattle needed the poise they played with late to weather the storm in the early going and it simply wasn’t there. Multiple runs by the Tigers put the Redhawks into a hole they could not fully climb out of, suffering a season-ending 91-85 loss in the second round of the NIT Sunday night.
With the game tied at 15 in the first half, Auburn went on a 19-5 sprint to blow the game open early. Multiple Redhawk turnovers led to baskets on the other end and Auburn fed off its rowdy home crowd. While Seattle struggled to find a rhythm offensively, Auburn established control inside that led to easy looks throughout the entire contest. The Tigers had a 38-24 advantage in points in the paint and shot 32 free throws compared to 11 by the Redhawks.
Redhawks’ Defense Stands Tall in 67-52 Win Over Tommies in First Round of NIT
Holding an explosive St. Thomas offense to a season-low on the scoreboard, the Redhawks secured a 67-52 win over the Tommies on Tuesday night at the Connolly Center, notching a massive NIT win to advance to the second round of the tournament.
Along with holding the visiting foe to a season-low in points to set up a date with top-seeded Auburn, the Redhawks limited the Tommies to 38% shooting from the field, including 23% from three-point range, along with producing 21 turnovers. This effort defensively gave Seattle enough time to find its shooting touch in the second half.
In the first half, Seattle shot just 30% from the field, falling behind early. Struggling to find quality looks, whether driving to the lane from the perimeter or feeding Houran Dan or Austin Maurer posted up inside, the Redhawks had just four points in the paint after 20 minutes. St. Thomas, on the other hand, spread out Seattle’s defense and turned their guards loose getting downhill, frequently challenging Seattle at the rim to build a 10-point lead midway through the half.
Brayden Maldonado’s Heroics in Return Lead Redhawks to 71-66 Win Over Lions
In his first game back in the lineup, Brayden Maldonado did not miss a beat, having his best game of the season and helping the Seattle Redhawks get over a second-half hump that has plagued them all season for the 71-66 over LMU Saturday night at the Gersten Pavilion.
Maldonado returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games with an injury and finished with a season-high 33 points. He put the Redhawks on his shoulders offensively, impacting the game in a variety of ways.
Coming off screens, the Lions opted not to send multiple defenders at him, and the guard found his way into the paint driving to the hoop frequently. He attempted 12 free throws and converted on nine of them. He also matched a season-high in three pointers made with six. He made multiple tough shots coming off screens and gave LMU defenders trouble all night.
Will Heimbrodt’s Career Night Lifts Redhawks to 87-80 Road Win vs. Waves
WCC play has been up and down for Wiil Heimbrodt, but in the wake of guard Brayden Maldonado's injury, the playmaking forward has stepped up. On Wednesday night, the sophomore put together the best performance of his career at the perfect time to lead the Redhawks to an 87-80 win over the Pepperdine Waves.
Igniting a hot Seattle U offense, Heimbrodt finished with 24 points on 10-13 shooting from the field, matching a career-high, along with five assists, five blocks, four rebounds, and four steals. From the tip, he represented a matchup nightmare for the Waves. No one in the backcourt could match his physicality, and no one in the front court could keep up with his speed. Niine of his field goals came in the paint, and he got to the rim in a multitude of ways.
Redhawks Drop 54-53 Contest in Sloppy Slugfest vs. Pilots
As the Seattle U Redhawks battled the Portland Pilots on the road on Saturday night at the Chiles Center, neither team played their best basketball with plenty of mistakes made by each team on both sides of the floor. But it was a key Redhawk mistake that ultimately cost them their eighth loss of conference play.
The Pilots, fresh off of an upset win against Gonzaga, trailed 29-17 to Seattle U after 20 minutes in a poor performance in front of the home crowd. In the locker room, Portland head coach Shantay Legans urged his team to play with more effort. Responding favorably to the halftime pep talk, the Pilots fought back and made it a one possession game late in the second half. While the Redhawks had seen their advantage dwindle to a single point, they still led 53-52 with 35 seconds, presenting an opportunity to steal victory from the jaws of defeat.
But as has been the case too often as of late, it wasn’t meant to be in the City of Roses.
Seattle U Men’s Basketball Can’t Keep Up With WSU, Conference Struggles Continue
After beating the Cougs by 14 a month ago, offensive problems that have plagued the Redhawks since came back to bite them in a 70-58 loss in Beasley.
Redhawks Stumble in WCC Opener, Fall 67-59 to Dons
A late rally positioned the Redhawks for a comeback in their WCC opener. But poor shooting and foul trouble proved to be too much to overcome as their conference schedule opened in disappointment at home.
Redhawks Close Out Roadrunners, Earn 71-68 Road Win to Wrap Up Non-Conference Play
A late surge by the Roadrunners put the Redhawks’ win streak on the line, but aggressive driving to the basket and a boatload of free throws carried Chris Victor’s squad to a big road victory heading into WCC play.
Huskies Hoops Outmuscled by Redhawks in Annual Battle for Seattle
The Washington Huskies lost 70-66 to Seattle U on Friday night in the annual Battle For Seattle basketball game. What went wrong for the Huskies as they lost for the second year in a row to the Redhawks?
Redhawks Upset Huskies 70-66, Win Second Straight ‘Battle for Seattle’
With neither team shooting well from the outside at Climate Pledge Arena, the Redhawks outperformed the favored Huskies driving the ball to the paint in the second half, making more plays down the stretch to beat their city rivals for a second straight year.
Late Free Throw Seals Redhawks’ 79-78 Victory at UC Davis, Runs Win Streak to Four Games
Though they watched a double-digit lead evaporate in the first half, the Redhawks kept their best start in more than 50 years rolling with a late clutch free throw to fend off the UC Davis Aggies on the road. How did Seattle U land a fourth straight victory?
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