South Dakota State head coach Eric Henderson thought he was going to lose out on a prized faculty basketball recruit in Baylor Scheierman.
Scheierman had the dimensions, potential and proper make-up coaches coveted. Even soccer coaches.
When Scheierman didn’t star on the hardwood in highschool, he dominated on the gridiron. He set Nebraska state information as a senior within the fall of 2018 by throwing for 3,924 yards and 59 touchdowns in a single season. That drew curiosity from faculty soccer packages, together with from the college not distant from Scheierman’s hometown within the College of Nebraska.
Henderson caught wind that then-head coach Scott Frost invited Scheierman to campus to attend a Cornhuskers sport, which despatched Henderson instantly into panic mode.
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“I used to be an assistant coach on the time and I’m like, ‘Oh God this isn’t good. A Nebraska child,’” Henderson advised NESN.com. “He in all probability may have performed Division I soccer.”
Henderson bought on the cellphone with Scheierman, who calmed Henderson’s nerves and made it clear that regardless of a visit to observe the Cornhuskers play, he would honor his dedication to South Dakota State.
“So, I known as him and he stated, ‘Hey, Hendo, man, I’m a hooper,’” Henderson stated.
Scheierman confirmed that over the following three seasons with the Jackrabbits, creating a talent set that in the end led him to Creighton earlier than changing into the No. 30 general choice of the Boston Celtics within the 2024 NBA Draft.
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The 6-foot-6, 205-pound guard turned out to be what Henderson envisioned: an entire game-changer on the court docket. Scheierman may do all of it as evidenced when he was named the Summit League Participant of the Yr for the 2021-2022 marketing campaign. That season, he completed third within the league in scoring with 18.2 factors per sport whereas being the one Division I participant to guide his convention in each rebounding (8.2) and assists (4.6).
Expertise alone didn’t get Scheierman there. Henderson noticed him work meticulously at his craft and with the power seemingly at all times open at South Dakota State, Scheierman turned a gymnasium rat.
“I couldn’t beat him to the gymnasium and he was at all times the final one to depart,” Henderson stated.
However it wasn’t at all times easy crusing for Scheierman. Whereas he bought the popularity as a lights-out shooter — he shot 39% from 3-point vary in his faculty profession — it didn’t begin that means with the Jackrabbits. He shot simply 24.7% from past the arc throughout his freshman season.
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That left Scheierman wanting extra. Henderson stated Scheierman took the conversations they’d “to coronary heart” and set to work bettering. It confirmed the very subsequent season and opened Henderson’s eyes as he catapulted to a 43.8% shooter from downtown and averaged 15.4 factors per sport.
“I may see the soar that he constituted of his freshman 12 months to his sophomore 12 months,” Henderson stated. “It was like a distinct participant. His potential to make photographs. He added a large amount of power. Turned extra athletic. … That’s in all probability the time I used to be like, ‘Holy cow, this dude may be particular.’”
After Scheierman accomplished his third season with the Jackrabbits, by which he shot a blistering 47.2% from deep, he declared for the NBA draft in 2022 whereas sustaining his faculty eligibility.
That’s how he bought on the radar of the Celtics. Scheierman labored out for the Celtics forward of that 12 months’s draft and it helped that Khyle Marshall, who was an assistant coach for the Jackrabbits, had performed for Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens when he coached at Butler.
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Scheierman in the end determined to forgo the NBA draft and entered the switch portal. He had loads of suitors, together with from a university basketball blue blood in Duke. However Greg McDermott and Creighton received out.
Scheierman then needed to attempt to slot in with a Bluejays squad that returned 4 starters in Ryan Kalkbrenner, Trey Alexander, Ryan Nembhard and Arthur Kaluma. He made it look simple, although, utilizing his “underrated” talent to take action.
“I believe it’s as a result of he was such a keen passer. He would flip down a very good shot to get his teammate an important shot and he’d try this time and again,” McDermott advised NESN.com. “As soon as the remainder of the blokes performed with him, they understood that not solely is he going to make our group higher, he’s going to assist make me higher as a result of he’s going to get me some alternatives together with his unbelievable imaginative and prescient.”
Similar to at South Dakota State, Scheierman made the identical sort of all-around impression with Creighton. Whereas doing that, he rewrote Creighton’s report e-book.
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He turned the primary participant in Creighton historical past to ever report a factors/rebounds/assists triple-double and he collected no less than 300 rebounds in consecutive seasons, which hadn’t been executed at Creighton in over 4 a long time. The cherry on prime of his sterling statistics was changing into the primary males’s participant in Division I historical past with no less than 2,000 factors, 1,000 rebounds, 500 assists and 300 three-pointers in his profession.
“He’s assured,” McDermott stated. “I believe whenever you come from a small city, and also you’re making an attempt to make it within the big-time like it’s a must to have a chip on his shoulder and play with an edge, and Baylor actually does that. However he’s additionally backed it up with lots of arduous work.”
It wasn’t simply Scheierman’s work ethic or taking pictures potential that shone by. His aggressive nature was on the forefront of his ascension as effectively. However Scheierman’s competitiveness may go into overdrive, which led to him butting heads with McDermott at occasions throughout timeouts when the coach would inform him one thing he didn’t need to hear.
“Him and I’ve an unbelievable relationship. I’m actually near him. However we might get after one another generally due to his competitiveness,” McDermott stated. “We’re each actually aggressive and generally within the warmth of the second, these tempers flare. However in a matter of minutes, we’re placing our arms round one another and every part was wonderful. Like I stated, he’s a winner and he’s ready himself to win. He holds different to a excessive customary and since he’s labored so arduous he seems like he’s going to achieve success.”
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Whereas photographs may not fall on a regular basis for Scheierman, his confidence isn’t missing. It’s an asset of his identical to his great outdoors taking pictures.
The Celtics already noticed it, too. After totaling 13 factors, six assists and 5 rebounds in his Celtics debut in Summer season League motion final week, Scheierman hit a chilly spell the final two video games, taking pictures 4-for-17 from the sphere.
However Scheierman retains taking pictures, believing the following one goes to go in and trusting himself that what introduced him from Aurora, Neb., to the Celtics will proceed to work.
“A variety of the suggestions I bought through the draft course of is he got here into these exercises he was assured, considerably cocky at occasions, however he actually backed it up together with his efficiency,” McDermott stated. “However that’s who he’s. He’s labored actually arduous to arrange himself for the state of affairs that’s at hand now, which is why I believe he’s going to thrive.”
