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.
Remaining poised after taking a crash course as a key reserve during his redshirt freshman season, Will Heimbrodt understood a larger role would be in his grasp coming into his third season on campus with the Seattle Redhawks. He simply needed to capitalize on the opportunity.
Doing just that, Heimbrodt earned himself his first full-time starting gig rolling into his sophomore season, ready to take flight on a team with high aspirations entering the West Coast Conference. With several of his former teammates graduating, the Redhawks were counting on him to become a staple in their lineup, feeling like coach Chris Victor and the coaching staff had even more confidence in him than he did.
Heimbrodt played well in spring practices, staying consistent with his training throughout the summer and by Seattle’s first game against the University of Denver, Heimbrodt received the call as a starter for the first time. Helping lead his team to an 84-73 win, he finished the game with 24 points on 9-14 shooting, eight rebounds, and two blocks, putting the rest of the conference on notice early.
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.
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 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.
Keeping a talented guard in the state of Washington, the Seattle U Redhawks men's basketball team announced the addition of junior Tómas Thrastarson on Monday.
Thrastarson comes to Seattle after spending his first two seasons across the state with Washington State in Pullman. A 6-foot-7 shooting guard, he thrives getting to the basket as a driver. His scoring upside comes from his long frame that allows him to draw and play through contact as he gets into the paint.
“Tómas is a versatile guard with great size and experience competing at a high level,” said head coach Chris Victor. “His success in the WCC, combined with his international experience representing Iceland, gives him a strong foundation to make an immediate impact in our program. He has the ability to affect the game in a variety of ways and we're excited to welcome him to Seattle.”