Skilled Stories: The Rise of Will Heimbrodt
Since the start of the Team Rampage (CA) Program back in 2015 there has been a struggle for finding size, let alone Elite Level Wings. We had the blessing of having a few players over 6’4’ but not many due to lack of size in our area. That would soon change however.
After Myron Amey was able to obtain a scholarship offer and commit to San Jose State in 2021, we felt things would change with being able to get more and better players. Amey would be the first Division 1 player out of our program that didn’t need junior college to get there. Through the connection of another player, 6’7’ Will Heimbrodt of Archie Williams HS (San Rafael, CA) arrived to our practice and would commit to playing for us. My first time seeing him would actually be at a practice in which Myron Amey was still with us at the time prior to San Jose offering him. Will’s size, length, skill set, and defensive versatility stood out. Although we never got the chance to see Will and Myron play together, myself and the staff knew we had a chance of producing a 2nd Division 1 player right after Myron.
Will would play that summer and fall with us before entering his senior season at Archie Williams. He wasn’t nearly as good as he is now, but you could see the potential and upside. I remember him finishing out a close and competitive game against a team from Montana at the Cali-Live event. He finished the game playing point guard and guarding the other team’s best player who also was a guard. Him showing his two way ability at 6’7’ was what sold me into believing he was a Division 1 player. The only problem with that game was there wasn’t one division 1 scout there to see it.
Most division 1 coaches were hesitant on Will’s ability even expressing the concern of him being a “tweener” or his outside shooting ability not being good enough for Division 1 basketball. Will would have a dominating senior season, leading Archie Williams to the 3rd round of playoffs, and picking up 4 Division 2 offers. Despite the noise he made, no division 1 coaches seemed interested in him except for one school….Seattle U! Seattle didn’t have any scholarships available for Will as a 2022 High School Graduate but they had possibilities if he decided to do a postgraduate year and join the 2023 class.
With Will back as a unsigned senior playing AAU along side 6’8’ Salim Arikat, University of Washington Football Commit Leroy Bryant, and plenty of more solid talent, I knew we had the team to compete at a high level. The first AAU tournament was in Southern California at Gerry Frietas’s Event. Will was one of the top players at the event and caught serious attention from Julius V who coaches at SC Academy (Los Angeles, CA). After weeks of conversations, Will decided to do a postgraduate year at SC Academy and finish the AAU season as a 2023 recruit.
After the first Live Period Seattle U would offer him. This was a happy moment for Will and well deserved but this would only be the beginning. After continuing to put the west coast on notice throughout the spring and summer, Will would start to really get after it in workouts. From running hills on Magazine Street in Vallejo, to running the waterfront, to training outdoors at Seterquist Park in North Vallejo, Will was developing and turning into a next level player. By the end of the summer he had earned 3 more Division 1 offers from American University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Pepperdine. He would face other high level prospects such as Isaiah Miranda, Makaih Williams (Wyoming Commit), Kyle Evans (Colorado State Commit), Money Williams (Montana Commit) and plenty more without the spotlight of being on a shoe circuit. He would also make the Cali-Live Top 5 Performers list that also included 7’1’ Dennis Evans who is considered to be a future NBA lottery pick.
As the summer ended Will was still going hard with workouts as he was gearing up for SC Academy, and also official visits that he had lined up. His first official visit would be Seattle U, the school that offered him first. Surprisingly he would commit during the visit, making him the 2nd Division 1 player out of our program. A kid that believed in his talent, worked hard in the classroom (3.9 GPA), and always displayed high level character, got what he deserved in the end.
Hopefully more can learn from this story. Sometimes all you need is the confidence in yourself, and a plan. Those two together can unlock so many gifts within yourself and allow you to do things with structure. Both Will Heimbrodt and Myron Amey had 0 Division 1 offers when they played their last high school game as seniors. Through hard work, dedication, not losing confidence in themselves, and being a dog, allowed them to turn into Division 1 players. There is no doubt that Will develop even more down at SC Academy, and he will be ready to have a monster freshman year at Seattle U in 2023.
- Written by Skilled Express