Wheeling, W. Va. - Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, it was always Wheeling University Men's Basketball alum Haywood Highsmith's dream to play in the NBA. His dad played basketball throughout his life and passed the sport on to his son from the age of four years old. It took years of hard work and determination, but that goal was realized this past season when he signed a three-year contract with the Miami Heat. That contract represented a lifetime of dedication to the sport of basketball and the many trials and tribulations he had to endure along the way.
"I signed three different 10-day contracts and then when (the HEAT) signed me to that three-year deal it was very special for me," said Highsmith. "Once I signed the deal everyone was happy for me and we celebrated but I had to realize that was the goal, but I still have to keep working. The work has just begun obviously and there is still more to be done, but that was a big step for me in the right direction. I just got to keep going and realize that this is just the beginning for me."
Highsmith grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and played his high school basketball at Archbishop Curley, and was one of the top players for the Friars. During his high school career, he averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists per game while helping build Archbishop Curley into a powerhouse in the Baltimore area. However, despite how well Highsmith was playing, the 6'5, 180-pound, senior was not getting much attention from college scouts. With very few offers on the table, Highsmith went to play in an AAU league that summer after he graduated, to try and garner more attention.
That is when he met the man who would send his basketball career into overdrive, former Wheeling University Men's Basketball Coach Danny Sancomb. Highsmith remembers playing in an AAU tournament just a few weeks before classes were supposed to start when he ran into Sancomb. After watching him play, Sancomb invited Highsmith to campus, and he immediately was able to seize the opportunity.
"We went up to a tournament in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Wheeling University head basketball coach Danny Sancomb was there," said Highsmith. "I performed pretty well, and he liked me so after the tournament he wanted me to come visit. This was in about August, so classes were about to start at Wheeling in a couple of weeks, so I go up on a visit and we got to go around and explore the campus. After we did the little tour of campus he gave me an offer, it wasn't a fully guaranteed offer, it was a partial offer because he was taking a chance on me. And from there it was the decision between going to Wheeling or going to prep school and I chose Wheeling because I felt like I could build something there and most of the guys coming in were from the DMV area, so I felt that kind of connection there."
After he decided to come to Wheeling it was time for the work to begin as Highsmith transitioned into college basketball. He began his career at Wheeling as a bench player, but by the end of his freshman season, he was a consistent force in the Cardinal's starting lineup. During that first year, Highsmith averaged just under 10 points per game while shooting a healthy 52.9% from the floor. He helped his team get to the Mountain East Conference (MEC) semifinals that season as his college career hit the ground running.
One of the biggest adjustments for Highsmith was the amount of extra work he had to learn how to put in. It was something that Highsmith wasn't used to doing in High School, but he credits Sancomb for helping instill this drive in him and helping him become the player he is today.
"When I got to Wheeling, I'm not going to lie I was not one of the hardest workers as far as doing extra things with basketball," said Highsmith. "(Sancomb) used to meet with me a lot and make sure I was doing the extra things like getting stronger, putting up extra shots, and staying conditioned. He stayed on my case because he saw something in me, and you want a coach to do that and get the most out of you. I still talk to him this day and he is one of my good friends and he is an all-around great person. I don't think I would be the person I am today without him."
After that freshman season, things only got better for both Highsmith and the Cardinals over the next three seasons. His teams made the MEC tournament in each of his four seasons and were in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Tournament in three of his four years in a Cardinals uniform. Highsmith averaged double-digit points per game each season and currently ranks third all-time in Wheeling Men's Basketball history with 1,952 career points. One of his most memorable seasons during that run came in his sophomore year when the school would host the NCAA DII Atlantic Regional Tournament for the first time in school history.
However, it was during his senior year at Wheeling that Highsmith remembers getting the idea that he could continue to play basketball after Wheeling. He won several accolades during that season, including being named the 2018 Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) National Player of the Year and a finalist for the BEVO Francis Award, honoring the top player amongst NCAA DII, DIII, NAIA, USCAA, and NCCAA players. It was during a three-game stretch at the end of January when he scored 30+ points in three straight games that he realized his dream could be a reality.
"Midway through my senior year I really started killing it," said Highsmith. "I had a stretch of games where I was getting 30 points per game, and I was feeling confident and becoming comfortable. I thought to myself you could go professional with this, and it has always been a dream of mine, so it was nice to think like that. All the hard work was finally paying off."
Highsmith would graduate from Wheeling in 2018 with a degree in Business Administration, but his thoughts lied with professional basketball. He had signed with professional sports agent Jerry Dianis a month before graduation, and the process began as the two worked together to look for professional opportunities. His first opportunity would come through a mutual connection that sent Highsmith to the Philadelphia 76ers for their Summer League Minicamp. He played amongst some of the top players from around college basketball but unfortunately did not make the cut.
Then, in October 2018, Highsmith's professional career began when he signed with the NBA G League's Delaware Blue Coats. His professional basketball career had started, and Highsmith took off, playing 46 games for the Blue Coats and averaging 12.2 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. He was shooting the ball well, at 43% from the floor, and got noticed by the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers would not pass up on Highsmith this time and gave him his first NBA two-way contract.
"After Wheeling it was all about trying to get in that NBA bubble and get connected with people," said Highsmith. "When I finally got there, there were obviously butterflies because I'm playing in front of the largest amount of people I have ever played in front of in my life. But once I got on the court, I got comfortable, and you have to realize it's just basketball with a lot of people watching at the biggest stage."
Highsmith appeared in five games for the 76ers that season and, while he didn't see a lot of time, he took advantage of the opportunity shooting 40% from the floor. He would head back to the G League with the Delaware Blue Coats for the 2019-2020 season and once again averaged 10.4 points per game while shooting 41% from the floor. Then, the COVID shutdown hit, and Highsmith took his game overseas to the HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, where he appeared in 23 games.
When he came back, basketball was returning as the NBA was just starting to get back to a sense of normalcy. Highsmith was once again with the Blue Coats and was putting together his best season so far, averaging 13.4 points per game and hitting 50% of his shots. When COVID cases started ramping up in the NBA, he would once again get a shot this time taking his talents to Miami, Florida where he got an opportunity with the Miami Heat.
"This season I was playing in the G League again with the Blue Coats and I was having a pretty good year," said Highsmith. "When the Corona cases started going crazy in the NBA, they were calling up a lot of guys. The Heat called me in January because they had a lot of guys that were in protocols, so I played a couple of games on the road trip, and they liked me so they told me they would keep in contact with me. A couple of weeks went by, and they called me for another 10-day contract, and it went from there."
Highsmith would remain with the Heat for the rest of the season as a primary bench player and he averaged just over eight minutes a game. He was scoring a tick over what he did with the 76ers, averaging 2.3 points per game, and helped the Heat get to the NBA playoffs. He would end up making the playoff roster and helped get Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they met up with the Boston Celtics. The series went seven games before the Heat fell, but it was an experience Highsmith will never forget.
"NBA playoff basketball is a different type of basketball than the regular season," said Highsmith. "There is so much more intensity, and everything is electrified as everyone is trying to get that championship. With the Heat we had a lot of veterans being leaders and helping us. I didn't play a lot, but I was watching a lot from the sidelines and learning in the team huddle during timeouts. It helped me to understand how much it takes to get where we got to, and I wouldn't want to be on any other team."
Highsmith's career in the NBA is just getting underway, but it represents all the hard work and sacrifice that it took him to get to that level. To future Division II players looking to make their mark in the NBA, Highsmith offers the advice to just keep working and go chase your dreams.
"If (the NBA) is your dream you have to go out and make that dream a reality," said Highsmith. "You have to put the work in. Just keep going, keep grinding, never give up, and never let someone tell you that you can't do something. Just write your own story and keep working for it."
Highsmith credits the support he got from the Wheeling community as a big reason for his success and tells future players that they will feel the support of the college, fans, and the team as they go out and chase their dreams.
"When you go to Wheeling you are going to have a lot of support from the Wheeling community," said Highsmith. "Wheeling isn't a big town, but they definitely come out to support their basketball. The West Liberty/Wheeling rivalry is one of the best rivalries I have been part of during my career. Wheeling has always been known to support basketball and the team is a tight-knit group that does things the right way."
