Redshirt season 'smart decision' for Purdue's Camden Heide

WEST LAFAYETTE – During a recent spring workout, Camden Heide embraced every opportunity to dunk.

And there were plenty of chances to showcase his dunking skills, which is nothing new to his teammates and fans who were in Mackey Arena during pregame warmups.

But there’s more to Heide’s game than dunks. It’s what you didn’t see that makes Heide a valuable addition to next year’s team after redshirting last season.

“Everyone thinks that’s all I do in warmups, but I work out every game day, and there’s rarely any dunking going on in my workouts,” Heide said. “It is kind of funny to hear people talk – ‘he only dunks, and it’s like I’ve never seen him take a shot outside of two feet.’ It does happen a lot.

“People will see a lot more than just dunking. There will be some dunks, but people will see more than that.”

Heide’s ability to dunk with ease showcases his athletic skillset but the Minnesota native will also help the Boilermakers improve their overall team quickness and give coach Matt Painter another perimeter scoring option.

“He’s very fast, and he’s a very good vertical jumper,” Painter said. “We’re getting a long wing who can show that athleticism. He’s a good shooter from 3, and we need as much shooting as we can get, but we also need that length and that athleticism. At both ends of the court, he’ll help us in those areas.”

LONG WAIT BETWEEN GAMES

Those skills, though, haven’t been on display in an organized game since Nov. 30, 2021, when Heide broke the second metatarsal in his foot. It ended his senior season at Wasatch Academy in Utah after transferring from Wayzata High School, which won the 2021 Class 4A Minnesota state championship with Heide leading the way.

That injury, along with breaking the third metatarsal in the same foot after trying to come back too soon, was enough to seriously consider sitting out his freshman season with the Boilermakers. And Heide has made his way through the foot injury chain, breaking his fifth metatarsal in his left foot between his sophomore and junior seasons in high school.

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Although Heide wasn’t preparing to redshirt, it was the best move given the circumstances of his injury situation. He wasn’t able to start practicing until fall semester classes began and fell behind most of his teammates.

“I’ve always challenged myself,” said Heide, who shot 40% from 3-point range during his junior season at Wayzata. “I just thought that stuff was going to work out the way that I had thought it was going to work out. I was trying to get back as fast as I could, but it’s hard when you’re limited in drills and practices.

“It’s hard to catch up when you’re so far behind, especially playing at this level, but just even at the high school level missing most of my senior year. I think it was a good decision to heal myself this year, get in the weight room and become a better athlete and work on my game.”

While redshirting wasn’t part of the plan when Heide signed with the Boilermakers, the long-term benefits certainly outweighed any potential short-term success.

“Going through a year where you didn’t get a full preseason and the summer workouts and taking that year to get myself healthy and fully ready to go for the next year, that will help,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll have four years of me playing basketball at my full capability and being healthy.”

Heide doesn’t have to go far to see examples of how a redshirt season has helped his teammates, including Mason Gillis and former Boilermaker Brandon Newman, who’s in the process of transferring to another program.

Heide’s situation is similar to Gillis, who missed his senior season at New Castle and didn’t play in an organized game for 985 days before stepping on the floor at Purdue.

“I talked to both of them about it before I made the decision because I was going back and forth,” Heide said. “Having to hear from those guys about their past experiences and what they thought about going into their decision to redshirt.

“With Mason, it obviously helps to have someone who’s been in the same situation and can lead you in their direction and their thoughts. We agreed on the same thing, and I felt the same way that he did, and I think it was a smart decision.”

STAYING HEALTHY

Throwing down dunks has been a part of Heide’s game when his athletic ability came to the surface. The three-sport athlete (football and baseball) started dunking in eighth grade with this travel team and entered a dunk contest.

But the conversation with Painter during a postseason meeting focused more on shooting than dunking.

“I’d say my spot shooting and set shooting has always been a strength for me,” he said. “We just talked about it a few weeks ago and game speed reps are the biggest thing for me to come off the different actions that we have.

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“Just refining the ability to sprint off of different screens and come off and catch and shoot. I think that’s been the biggest thing in terms of my shooting that I’ve been working on.”

Heide spent last season working out with the program’s graduate assistants, attending every game, soaking up the road and neutral court environments, and experiencing Big Ten venues to understand what’s coming next season and beyond.

The spring and summer workouts will help Heide blend in with the returning players and the newcomers to begin defining his role and the summer trip to Europe in August should present game-like situations to help him ease into a more competitive environment.

The top priority for Heide is staying healthy throughout the offseason, playing extensive minutes during the overseas trip, and being ready when official practices start in late September. If the plan succeeds, Heide certainly will give the Boilermakers a lift next season.

“I’ve dealt with injuries here and there, and I just want to be able to work out and be with the team and contribute and play my role, whatever that is on the trip this summer,” he said. “But most importantly, stay healthy and continue to be in the gym and in the weight room as much as I can. There’s still a lot of time to get better and a lot of time to do things.”