Redhawks Begin Offseason by Retaining Will Heimbrodt
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Seattle Redhawks forward Will Heimbrodt (15) goes up for a layup on Auburn Tigers forward Filip Jović (38) as Auburn Tigers take on Seattle Redhawks during the second round of the National Invitation Tournament at Neville Arena in Auburn, Ala. on Sunday, March 22, 2026. Credit: Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images [/caption]
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.
In the final eight games, including postseason, Heimbrodt’s averages increased to 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists with a jump to 47% shooting from the field. His best game during this stretch came in the Redhawks 87-80 win over Pepperdine, as he commanded the offense without star guard Brayden Maldonado and finished with 24 points on 10-13 shooting from the field with five assists, five blocks, four rebounds, and four assists.
After the regular season, Heimbrodt was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, quite the honor for the Redhawks. He ranked fourth in the country averaging 2.6 blocks per game and set the Seattle U single season record with 90 blocks.
Retaining Heimbrodt is the most impactful move Chris Victor could have made, as he easily could have landed with a Power 4 program in the transfer portal as a prized addition for a number of programs. Starters like Maldonado and Maleek Arington as well as key rotation guys like John Christofilis and Jojo Murphy will be graduating, leaving him and Junseok Yeo - who graduates this spring, but he still has one more year of eligibility if he chooses to stay - as the top returning stars.
The Redhawks will have to address the backcourt with four of their guards graduating, but retaining Heimbrodt is a massive development on both sides of the ball. He proved late this season he can be the secondary shot creator and with another offseason, there is no reason to believe he can not develop into the top dog. On the defensive end, he is a sticky perimeter defender and already an elite rim protector.
Looking ahead, Yeo will be the next key piece for Victor to try and retain. Outside of him, that leaves centers Austin Maurer and Houran Dan as the final rotation pieces that Seattle hopes to have back in 2026-27, while the team will have to hit the portal looking for other impact players who can help the Redhawks take the next step in the WCC.
