CYO basketball is a hard game that can only be played by the best. Many try, and many fail, but one person has become a man among boys on the parochial league courts. Number 14 for St. Jude stands 6’2″ with an almost six-and-a-half foot wingspan. However, Prep senior Jared Heidt started like the rest of us, a mere mortal.
His first year he was given very few minutes and his sophomore year was not much better. After his growth spurt during his sophomore year, Jared gained a starting role as St. Jude’s big man junior year. The “Caucasian Giannas,” as he is called among the CYO community, is feared for his ability to finish at the rim and his transition game. His favorite go-to move is hitting an unsuspecting victim with a dirty Euro step and laying it in.
Jared said he plans to average a cool 25 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 blocks and 5 steals this season. He will average all of these stats while having an impressive 0% from behind the three point arc.
Jared enjoys basketball because he loves the competitiveness. There are extremely competitive games, such as CYO, and then there are casual pickup basketball games. Also, there is a strategy that is needed to win a game. It is like a puzzle to figure out how to break down their defense and install an offense that will be effective. Jared said his favorite CYO memories are beating St. James to win the championship his sophomore year and then beating St. George a year later.