For the first time this year, the Redhawk Center was filled with a sea of red as Seattle University Men’s Basketball prepared to take on the University of Denver Pioneers Nov. 3 in the 2025-26 season opener.
With the university making the return to the West Coast Conference (WCC) and many new faces to this Redhawks squad, there’s a lot of uncertainty about what this season will look like for Seattle U Men’s Basketball. One thing is certain, though: how excited the players are to get back on the court and go against different competition.
“Everyone’s just so excited to get on the floor. You practice from the summer until now, beat each other up in practice, going against each other… It’s just fun to get out there and go against someone else,” Senior Guard Brayden Maldonado said.
The Pioneers won the tip to kick off the season, but the Redhawks got the ball back quickly after Senior Forward Will Heimbrodt secured a loose ball. Heimbrodt would go on to get fouled and go 1-2 on free throws, putting Seattle U on the board. Denver answered back a minute later with the Pioneers’ lead scorer, Jeremiah Burke, draining a jumper, but the Redhawks didn’t let this shake them.
It was a tight game through the first few minutes, but with just over 13 minutes left in the first half, the Redhawks began to pull away, going on a nine-point uncontested run and bringing the score to 22-10.
The Pioneers would go on a run of their own, tying up the score at 30-30 with just under seven minutes left in the half, and even took the lead with just over five and a half minutes left. It was a back-and-forth fight in the last few minutes of the first, but at the end of the half, the Redhawks were able to secure a 42-37 lead.
The Redhawks had possession of the ball going into the half and didn’t take that for granted. Throughout the second half, Seattle never lost the lead, even building a 16-point advantage with just under 12 minutes left in the game. Despite attempts at scoring runs from the Pioneers, Seattle U was able to lock down their defense and secure an 84-73 victory.
“You hear all the time that basketball is a game of runs, and it’s true… that’s a tough team, they play hard, [and] us not being able to put them away is because of their grit and their determination,” Head Coach Chris Victor said. “We responded well when they [Denver] went on runs. I thought our guys did stay composed throughout the game.”
This matchup against Denver was historic for two individuals: Heimbrodt and Maldonado.
Last season, Heimbrodt appeared in 27 games, all coming off the bench, and had a career-high of 11 points last Dec. 14 against Pacific University (Ore.). This season, Heimbrodt earned himself a spot in the starting five and more than doubled his scoring high with 24 points against Denver. Heimbrodt went 9-14 shooting and 3-4 on three-pointers. He also picked up a career high in rebounds with eight, surpassing his previous high of five.
“I put in a lot of work, and a lot of it was in the weight room. Being more confident in my body has been huge for me. Last year, coming off the bench, I felt like my head was there, but I couldn’t trust my body… So it’s been a good feeling to have my legs under me, and being more confident has been huge for me,” Heimbrodt said.
Along with Heimbrodt, Maldonado had a career night as well. The guard kicked off his senior season, also achieving a career-high in points with 28 against the Pioneers. This surpasses his previous high of 27 while playing at the DII level with MSU-Denver. Maldonado was also perfect from the free-throw line, going 7-7.
The two racked up a combined stat line of 52/13/3 (Pt/Reb/As), 6-9 from three, and 10-13 on free throws.
“Credit to them. They’re extremely coachable. They work their butts off. They put a lot of time into this, and I’m really happy to see their growth pay off,” Victor said.
The Redhawks take on Cal Poly Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. in the Redhawk Center for this year’s Homecoming game.
