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.
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.
Redhawks Blow Chances Late, Fall to Tigers 61-58 in WCC Tournament
Seattle U had three looks late to tie their third round battle against Pacific on Saturday night. A missed Will Heimbrodt layup, missed Brayden Maldonado layup, and a missed Maldonado three will all continue to play in the Redhawks heads as they head back home following a 61-58 loss at Orleans Arena that ended their season earlier than hoped.
In the first half, Seattle looked like it was in the driver’s seat. Junseok Yeo led the Redhawks with nine first half points, but in his matchup with Pacific’s Elias Ralph, he picked up his second foul, forcing head coach Chris Victor to take him out with about five minutes left before halftime. After Yeo’s substitution, the Tigers stormed back. They closed out the half on a 16-1 run, fueled by six Seattle turnovers.
As a result, Seattle trailed 32-29 at halftime after leading for much of the half, but Victor’s squad kept the game within at least two possessions until the six-minute mark. The Tigers strung together a 10-0 run off the back of three Seattle turnovers to push the lead to 53-43. This sequence of miscues dug a hole that proved to be too big for the Redhawks to climb out of, though they certainly made a valiant effort to do so in the closing minutes.
Redhawks Squeak Out Defensive Slugfest, Edge Toreros in WCC Tournament
In March postseason basketball, offenses tend to slow down. A heavier emphasis is put on guys stepping up running half court offense and games come down to who can play better in crunch time. The Seattle U Redhawks needed both of those factors to go their way as they squeaked out a 58-56 win over the University of San Diego Friday night at the Orleans Arena in the second round of the WCC tournament.
Seattle led by the eventual final score with 1:43 left to play, and its defense hunkered down. The Toreros came up empty handed on their last three possessions, failing to capitalize on chances to knot it up or take a late lead. Their final possession came off a missed layup from Seattle’s Will Heimbrodt with 11 seconds left. On the other end, San Diego missed a potential walk off three and missed the game tying layup off an offensive rebound, allowing the Redhawks to breathe a sigh of relief as their season stayed alive.
Seattle’s effort late came off the back of a veteran who has been a closer for the team over the past month in guard Jojo Murphy. Murphy delivered off the bench with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, both of which led to fastbreak layups. Whether it's starting in place of Brayden Maldonado, starting alongside him, or coming off the bench, his effort has been something head coach Chris Victor can always depend on.
Multiple Redhawks Step Up Off Bench in 60-50 Win Over Beavers
Midway through the first half, the Seattle U Redhawks leading scorer, Brayden Maldonado, exited to the locker room with a lower body injury. Typically, this would spell doom for a mid-major college basketball program, especially one that has struggled as much as Chris Victor’s team has on the offensive side of the court all season long.
But despite the devastating loss for Seattle with Maldonado unable to return to play, it was all hands-on deck for John Christofilis and the Redhawks as they managed to fill that void with 37 points off the bench and come away with the 60-50 win over Oregon State on Sunday night at the Redhawk Center.
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.
Redhawks Erupt for 83 Points in Narrow Win vs. Upset-Minded Waves
An uncharacteristically shaky defensive performance nearly left the Redhawks on the wrong side of a deflating upset at home. But Chris Victor’s team heated up the nylon, winning a shootout over the Waves. Who delivered down the stretch for Seattle U?
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.
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