The best thing about conference tourney memories is that they last forever. As a freshman at CSUN in 1998 Brian Heinle finished 7th on his team with 6.9 PPG. As a senior he led the Big Sky with 20.2 PPG/9.2 RPG and was named conference POY. The cherry on top was the tourney title game as he scored 21 PTS en route to being named tourney MVP. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Brian about being a great passer and playing pro basketball. Today marks the 22nd anniversary of Brian being named tourney MVP on March 10, 2001, so we take this time to remember his remarkable accomplishment.
In 2000 as a player at CSUN you scored a career-high 34 PTS vs. Weber State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I remember having a big 2nd half in that game. I would not say that I was “in the zone” but I got a few easy baskets which got me into a nice rhythm in the 2nd half. One vivid memory I have of that game was when my teammate had a breakaway layup and tried to dunk it: he hit the back of the iron and I followed up with a tip dunk. Tip dunks were few and far between for me so I tend to remember the ones I got!
In 2001 you had a career-high 17 REB vs. Montana State: what is your secret for rebounding? My secret for rebounding is to NOT box-out: that might sound crazy but I liked to make quick contact with my man and then go after the ball. Watching the flight of the ball and good positioning are keys as well.
You remain 10th in career AST in school history despite being a 6’10” center: how were you able to get so many AST despite playing center? I guess growing up watching Larry Bird/Magic Johnson did not hurt my passing skills. I had the ball in my hands a lot and knew the system we ran so well that I knew exactly where/when to get my teammates the ball.
You were named 2001 Big Sky tourney MVP after scoring 21 PTS to help beat Eastern Washington in the tourney title game: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what did it mean to you to win the conference tourney title? I do not think that I have ever been more focused for a basketball game in my life. That was my last chance to take my school to the NCAA tourney so I knew that I had to take advantage of the opportunity. I think my teammates knew that I was locked in and made an extra effort to find me in the 1st half, and we just broke the game open.
What are your memories of the 2001 NCAA tourney (you scored 13 PTS in a loss to Kansas, who was led by Nick Collison with 23 PTS/11 REB)? I remember having a terrible game: I got into early foul trouble and they just dominated us so it was not 1 of my finest hours. I still think that we would have been better off playing any other team in the country.
You remain 1 of the leading scorers in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were? I have never been accused of being prolific: I just improved every year and stayed healthy. It is really not a lot of points when you look at it. I knew that someone would break that record…and that I would be there to knee-cap them right before they did so: I am joking!
In 2001 you were named an All-American (the 1st D-1 All-American in school history): what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? I never really thought about it since I have never really been interested in individual honors. However, I guess when I am finished with basketball it will be a pretty cool thing to have on my resume.
In 2001 you were chosen to play at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament: how did you play, and which of the other players there impressed you the most? I played really well there, but I injured my knee in the last game and was out for 6 weeks after that. One guy that impressed me was my teammate who played at Texas: Darren Kelly. He played really well and I think he even had a 30-PT game.
You spent 15 years playing professionally in Belgium/Hungary/Italy/Holland/Austria: what did you learn from these experiences, and how did they compare to college basketball? I learned many things playing overseas, about both basketball and life. My advice to any player heading overseas is to work hard, be respectful of your coaches/teammates/fans, do not take basketball for granted, and prepare for the future.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I would like people to remember that I always played the game the right way, was a good teammate, and a great human being…but not necessarily in that order.