Bryce Heard’s young basketball career has been all about big decisions.
As a hotshot eighth-grader he decided to attend Kenwood as a freshman as he emerged as a top 100 prospect in the country in the Class of 2024.
Heard then decided to go the prep school route, attending basketball giant Montverde in Florida as a sophomore.
A little less than a year ago he decided to return to the Chicago area and enroll at Homewood-Flossmoor, where he was the leading scorer for a Class 4A state championship team as a junior.
Now he’s made the biggest decision of his young career, committing to North Carolina State — bypassing his senior year and reclassifying as a Class of 2024 prospect.
Heard was again expected to be among the top players in the state this coming season. Now after taking some summer classes to graduate early, the 6-5 wing will head to the ACC school this fall.
The idea of reclassifying was a recent development, Heard says. One conversation led to another and soon enough he started feeling like heading to college in a matter of weeks rather than a year from now was a possibility.
“Honestly, reclassifying wasn’t the goal at the beginning of the summer,” Heard said. “Missing out on your senior year is a big thing, so I definitely had to think about it. But then I started hearing the plan they had in place for me. Then I prayed on it, and I think it’s the best decision for sure.”
Heard said the belief he has in himself, along with the guidance from those around him, helped him realize this was the right move at the right time.
“I just really have a great support system around me,” Heard pointed out. “It was good to get input from my family and everyone in my support system. We all work together as a team. And I’m always going to bet on myself. I feel like I’m good enough to do this and it was the best decision and situation for me.”
As for North Carolina State, the official visit he took in June sealed it as to where he wanted to play his college basketball, whether it would be as a Class of 2024 or Class of 2025 recruit.
“The place fits me,” Heard said. “It felt like home. It’s a good school in general and basketball wise it just came off a Final Four and plays in the best conference in college basketball.”
North Carolina State rattled off a historic NCAA Tournament run this past season. The Wolfpack reached the Final Four in April as a No. 11 seed. That was attractive to Heard, who first started securing offers three years ago.
“The success they’ve had played a part, was a big piece of this,” Heard admitted. “Having that coaching stability in college basketball today is important.” Now we have to match that type of success.”
Heard, a jumbo-sized, physical wing with the potential to be a go-to-type scorer when his jumper is falling, left a legacy in just one season at Homewood-Flossmoor. In addition to averaging a team-high 16.9 points a game, Heard recorded a double-double in the state title game win over Normal with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
“Winning that state championship was unlike any feeling I’ve ever had,” Heard said. “I still remember being speechless in the moment. And to be able to do it at H-F was even better with them not having been downstate in 20 years. It was such a big thing winning it for the community and seeing their reaction.”