Hildebrandt brings skill, experience and high hoops IQ to High Point U

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This article was published 30/08/2024 (402 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Simon Hildebrandt’s mid-summer departure to the NCAA was a staggering blow for the University of Manitoba Bisons.

Meanwhile, the 6-9, 225-pound forward’s transfer to High Point University is being heralded as the arrival of a key piece of the recruiting picture for the Panthers men’s basketball program.

“He’s got great size, ability to play multiple positions and can make three-pointers at a high clip,” said Panthers head coach Alan Huss by phone from High Point, N.C., earlier this week. “He’s got a great basketball IQ.

“Then, when you dig a little bit deeper, you get to know that he’s got great character and he’s an excellent student. He’s just a guy that will fit on and off the floor with what we do. He’ll be skilled. He’ll be intelligent. He’s got some really high-level experience playing in Canada.”

Huss has some history with Hildebrandt, having recruited him in 2020 when he was an assistant coach at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., and Hildebrandt was in his Grade 11 season at Royal Crown Academic School in Toronto.

At High Point, Hildebrandt will be joined by fellow transfers D’Maurian Williams, a guard coming from Texas Tech, forward Terry Anderson from Lamar, guard Chase Johnston from Florida Gulf Coast and guard Bobby Pettiford from East Carolina.

“We have 12 new players, including walk-ons,” said Huss, who became High Point’s head coach in 2023 and guided the club to a 27-9 record in his first season. “Last season we had an entire new roster when I first got the job. So this is much easier. We have eight holdovers.

“I think there’s a good culture in place. Take the guys that we brought in and we have five guys that really fit culturally what we’re trying to do. They’re all diligent workers and kids that are going to hit the ground running.”

Hildebrandt, a two-time Canada West first-team all-star, practised for the first time with his new teammates on Thursday. He awaits a ruling from the NCAA on what penalty he will be assessed for his two summers of playing professionally for the Canadian Elite Basketball League’s Winnipeg Sea Bears.

“High Point is a solid basketball program,” said Sea Bears GM and head coach Mike Taylor. “It’s one of these mid-major schools that has put together some pretty good runs from time to time. Simon is a really good system fit for their style of play.

“He’s got a good connection with the coach who recruited him when he was at Creighton and I think that goes a long way. But I love the fact that he seems to be a missing piece to their recruiting puzzle.”

Hildebrandt said Tuesday he expects to be required to sit out a few games to begin the season. Will an NCAA ban on pro participation and the CEBL remain in effect in the future.

“I would imagine that,” said Huss. “But we’ll wait and see what the answer the NCAA comes back with this year.”

Taylor is hoping the NCAA can make an accommodation for Canadian players in the CEBL.

“We would love to have Siimon be a part of the Sea Bears again,” said Taylor. “So I think there’s work to do, but I think there’s reasons to be optimistic that we can figure something out with the NCAA.

“Not only for Simon, but for all these Canadian players that would be interested in coming up to play. I think that would be a great thing for the future of the league, because it deepens the talent pool of Canadian players.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca