Redhawks Star Will Heimbrodt Focused on ‘Little Things’ to Take Next Step After Breakout Season
SEATTLE, Wash. - 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.
Heimbrodt kept up the momentum from his opening day performance throughout a strong non-conference stretch. Prior to the start of WCC play, he averaged 14 points per contest on 50% shooting from the field, averaging four rebounds, two assists, and three blocks per game to round out a strong stat line.
“I think I was just playing free and I didn't really have any expectations on myself,” Heimbrodt said in an exclusive interview with Emerald City Spectrum. “I was really just trusting what the coaches were telling me but I was trusting my work, and I saw that pay off through the first ten games or so.”
Seattle ended its non-conference schedule with an 11-2 record, the program’s best start since the 1962-63 season. But all of its momentum came to a screeching halt when WCC play began. Through 10 games, Seattle won just three, and this stretch culminated in a 70-58 loss to Washington State in late January.
Washington State ran lineups with two big men, one guarding Seattle's center and the other guarding Heimbrodt. The Cougs hounded Seattle's star guard Brayden Maldonado on the perimeter and dared any other Redhawks to try and score inside.
Heimbrodt needed to step up and ultimately put too much pressure on himself to score. He tried to get into the lane, but could not get much space off the dribble. As a result, he struggled to finish around the rim, often forcing shots. He walked out of Beasley Coliseum that night with one of his worst performances of the season, finishing with just six points. Of his eight missed field goals, seven of them came in the paint.
Post-game, Victor’s comments served as a snapshot into what had been causing Heimbrodt’s struggles, and he put the starter on notice to an extent with his comments.
“When he’s aggressive playing off two feet, attacking the rim, he’s pretty good. But when he’s driving soft and going on one foot is when he struggles and he really has not improved on that yet, so he's got to fix it,” Victor said.
Heimbrodt had to change his mentality. He was overthinking and chasing shots, an issue that came to a head in that dreadful performance against the Cougars.
“I saw myself scoring more points at the start of the year and kind of put that expectation on myself that for us to win games, I had to score, which was not the best mindset to be in,” Heimbrodt said. “It wasn't from a selfish perspective of, you know like, ‘I want to see my stats.’ It was just from like, ‘We were winning and I was scoring. So, shoot, do I have to be a scorer?’”
Through conversations with coaches and reflecting on the earlier portion of the season, Heimbrodt knew he had to let the game come to him. When he forced the issue searching for his shot on offense, he rushes through the process and does not always leave the possession with the highest quality look. That wasn’t his game and he needed to rediscover his element as a means to not only improve his play, but help the Redhawks get back to winning games.
Then, in a game against Oregon State in mid-February, Maldonado went down with an injury in the first half. He did not return and missed the following three games. Everyone had to step up in his absence, especially Heimbrodt. A bigger emphasis would be put on his decision making as a shot creator, but this time, he was ready for that raised responsibility.
The Redhawks finished this stretch with a 3-1 record, with their only loss coming to Saint Mary’s in a 72-70 contest. Heimbrodt led the way as he played some of his best basketball in those four contests, rising to the occasion with Maldonado sidelined.
His best game came in an 87-80 win over Pepperdine, where Heimbrodt had 24 points on 10-13 shooting, five assists, five blocks, four rebounds, and four steals. Nine of his field goals came in the paint, and he got there in a multitude of ways. Backing down his opponent, taking his time while surveying the floor, and driving to the rack. Even though the team relied on him more during this stretch, he did not force his looks and let the offense come to him while still being aggressive.
“When my mindset goes to trying to be a scorer, I'm not super effective,” Heimbrodt remarked. “So I was just trying to continue to play hard on offense and do the little things.”
When Maldonado returned, the two went back to the one-two punch they were in non-conference. Heimbrodt scored double digit points in each of the final 10 games, including the WCC tournament and NIT, where the Redhawks bowed out after a valiant effort against the Auburn Tigers in the second round. As he reflected on how he closed out the season, he acknowledged he got back to the mindset that allowed him to flourish earlier in the season.
“My coaches have been great staying confident in me, and telling me to relax and breathe,” Heimbrodt said. “When I play tight, I force shots and turn the ball over, but I was definitely more relaxed on the court trying to slow down and that helped a lot.”
Even through the lows of the season, including the aforementioned public comments from Victor that seemed to call him out to an extent, the Seattle coaching staff never wavered in their belief in Heimbrodt. He rewarded their trust with a less is more approach in the final month of the season, executing the little things at a much higher level and seeing his stat line flourish across the board, including ending the season as the program’s all-time leader in blocks for a single season.
Remembering that Seattle U was the first Division I program to offer him coming out of high school, that continued faith in him made it an easy choice when presented with the opportunity to potentially leave for another school in the transfer portal. Excited about the vision Victor has for the Redhawks moving forward, he committed to stay with the team in 2026-27, excitedly believing his best basketball and the team’s best basketball remain in front of them.
“I've been here three years, I built some great relationships with the staff. So, you know, we have a shared vision in what we think next year could look like, and I'm super excited about that,” Heimbrodt said.
