Likely Purdue target Camden Heide has connections to campus
As Purdue begins — or continues — assembling its priority list for the 2022 recruiting cycle, one name very likely to find a prominent place is that of Minnesota's Camden Heide, in part because he's certain to be a very highly recruited player, but also because a long-standing family connection could give the Boilermakers an advantage.
Heide's father, Craig, grew up in Lafayette and graduated from both Jefferson High School and Purdue.
"I've been kind of influenced by him and become a big Purdue fan," Camden Heide said in April. "He took me down there to the campus when I was in fifth or sixth grade and I just loved it. I thought it was really cool."
Obviously, it's very early in the recruiting process for Heide, who turned 16 in mid-July, but should Purdue prioritize him in that '22 class, that impression and those connections might matter.
"For sure," Heide said, back in April. "I'd have to make the right decision for my family, and I still have a lot of time, and have to keep improving, and still have to work for it, but I think it would for sure influence my decision."
While Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota have extended early offers to the 6-foot-6, 190ish-pound wing from Wayzata High School, Purdue has maintained interest, and Matt Painter and assistant coach Steve Lutz would have just watched Heide at the USA Basketball junior national training camp in Colorado Springs this past week.
What they saw was a rising sophomore advanced for his age, one who's already played two years of varsity basketball in Minnesota — as an eighth-grader, then freshman — and averaged around 14 points per game as a freshman last winter. In the spring, Heide played up a year with D1 Minnesota's 16-and-under team.
"Defensively that's a challenge for me," Heide said in the spring of playing against older players. "I've played varsity for two years back in Minnesota already, but the athleticism and skill of these guys is so much different. Defensively it can make me a lot better having to guard bigger, faster, stronger guys."
Offensively, Heide is known for his shooting, but also his versatility as a scorer, with a skill set that jibes with the wing, but height enough to potentially even be a perimeter-oriented forward at the next level.
"Scoring, for sure, is my strength," Heide said in April, "but I have to improve on all aspects of my game."
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