Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) in action during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards, Friday, April 7, 2023, in Washington. The Wizards won 114-108. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
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When the NBA Finals tip off tonight at 8:30 inside the 19,520-seat Ball Arena, a former Wheeling Jesuit standout will be among those players on the Miami Heat bench.
Haywood Highsmith, who played for the Cardinals from 2014-18, is among the 8-player rotation that the eighth-seeded Heat have used during their run to the finals.
“It’s really been a rollercoaster of a season, both during the regular season and the playoffs,” Highsmith said during a telephone interview Tuesday night after arriving in the Mile High City. “We are not your ordinary No. 8 seed.”
Miami had to defeat Atlanta in a play-in game just to make the playoff field. It then upset top-seeded Milwaukee, the No. 5 New York Knicks and No. 2 Boston to punch its seventh ticket to the finals.
“We’ve rallied several times in the postseason, but we are a tough out for anybody and we knew that coming in,” Highsmith, a 6-5 reserve forward who has played quality minutes for the Heat, said. He scored 15 points in Game 5 against the Celtics.
“My role is to do whatever it takes to help the team win,” he noted. “I’ve always been a good defender and (Miami head) coach Eric (Spoelstra) has given me the opportunity to showcase my skills a little bit.”
While the Heat have had a crazy journey to the finals, Highsmith’s path to the NBA hasn’t been easy. He was undrafted in 2018 after a senior season at Wheeling Jesuit that saw him named the Mountain East Conference Player of the Year, as well as MVP of the MEC Tournament and first team Division II All-America.
“Going to a small college in a small city that was just far enough away from Baltimore really allowed me to grow into the independent person I am today,” he added. “It made me who I am today and I appreciate Wheeling for everything they did for me. I enjoyed my time there with some great coaches and teammates. I made some life-long relationships there. I cherish that time.”
Highsmith caught on with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League before signing a two-way contract with the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers early in 2019. He was released by the 76ers in June and returned to the Blue Coats after a deal with Phoenix fell through.
He played for the Blue Coats in 2019-2020 before going overseas to play with the Crailsheim Merlins of Basketball Bundesliga.
Following his third stint with the Blue Coats in 2021, he signed a 10-day contract with Miami on December 30 via the hardship exemption. In February of 2022, Highsmith signed a standard 10-day contract with the Heat. After it expired, he inked another 10-day deal and then became a full time member of the Heat after that one ran out.
“It’s been crazy, that’s for sure,” Highsmith said of his journey. “I’ve had my ups and downs but I always kept my head up and persevered through everything. I’ve had a lot of people pushing me and I’ve continued to work hard. I always kept telling myself to keep going and don’t quit.”
Because of that hard work and determination, Highsmith found himself playing in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night in TD Garden in Boston.
“It’s always amazing in a Game 7 in the NBA because you either win and go on or you lose and go home,” he said. “It was an amazing atmosphere. There is a lot of history between Boston and Miami, but we were able to find a way to win four games.”
Highsmith said being able to watch teammate Jimmy Butler play every night has been a pleasure.
“He has really stepped up his game in the playoffs. He is never scared of the moment.”
The Nuggets have been off for a record eight days after sweeping the L.A. Lakers to win the Western Conference title. They are led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who is 6-11 and has a 7-3 wingspan.
“They are definitely a great team,” Highsmith said of Denver, the No. 1 seed in the West. “They might have some rust, but they are going to bring it. They’ll have some fresh legs and a lot of energy. Their fans will be into it, but we will be ready. All we’ve got to do is find a way to win four more games.”
The best-of-7 series remains in Denver for Game 2 on Sunday before returning to Miami for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday, June 7 and Friday, June 9, respectively. Should it be needed, Game 5 would be back in Denver on Monday, June 12, with game 6 set for Miami on Thursday, June 15. A Game 7, if necessary, would be on Sunday, June 18 back in Colorado.
SERIES NOTE
– Denver head coach Mike Malone was a college teammate of Dave Wojcik’s at Loyola of Maryland. Wojcik is the Linsly boys basketball head coach.
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