Heiden takes his best shot

Jeff Heiden wasn't going to break Prospect's season by making a record-setting quest a personal priority.

Heiden knew a shot at breaking the school's single-season 3-point record was within his range after getting nearly halfway to it as a junior reserve. Especially since the inside presence of the 6-foot-6 duo of Kevin Reed and Alex Toth would create openings beyond the 19-foot-9 arc.

It didn't mean the 5-11 Heiden wanted to fire a lot of wild blanks to hit a few bulls-eyes. It's what is impressive about his 3-point record of 69 as the Knights head into tonight's Mid-Suburban East finale with visiting Rolling Meadows.

"It was definitely on my radar as something I could accomplish," Heiden said of surpassing Prospect season 3 mark of 60 by Daily Herald All-Area guard Justin Bentley in 2000, "with the system we run and the attention people were going to pay to Kevin and Alex.

"Honestly, the only goal I had was to be part of a winning team and go out on a good note."

Winning 8 of their last 9 games has the 15-9 Knights destined for their first winning season since 2001-02.

They can claim at least a share of their first MSL East title since 2000-01 with a win tonight and get a spot in Wednesday's league title game with some help from Hersey.

And the shooting prowess Heiden showed when he came to Prospect has been fully displayed this season. The second-leading scorer at 13.5 points a game has succeeded beyond the arc at a 47 percent clip.

"That's really a testament to what type of shooter he is," said Prospect coach John Camardella.

A lot of which comes from growing up around the game.

Heiden's dad Glen was an All-Area guard in 1975 for legendary coach Gaston Freeman at Maine West.

Glen Heiden was a three-year starter on Augustana teams that finished second in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin to Illinois Wesleyan and NBA all-star Jack Sikma and twice to Division III national champion North Park and NBA player Michael Harper.

But there was one thing Jeff Heiden didn't get from his dad, who averaged 20.4 points as a senior and is the No. 10 career scorer at Augustana.

"I always knew I'd have to work the hardest and be one of the best-skilled guys on the floor," said Heiden, who is 5 inches shorter than his dad, "so I could just survive out there."

Which Heiden has done even though he would come up on the light end of the scale against nearly every opponent.

Last year he averaged 3.7 points and hit 29 3s. But Heiden wanted to be more than just a long-range threat.

So he went to work over the summer on improving his ballhandling, conditioning and ability to create ways to score.

Now he can take the ball to the basket with authority. Heiden hit a tough runner in the lane in the fourth quarter of a win at Buffalo Grove that put Prospect in a tie for the East lead. He scored on a tough drive early in overtime in Tuesday's win at St. Viator.

"Last year I probably would have shot it or looked to dump it inside," Heiden said. "This year I understood I have a bigger role and need to attack and it's complemented my ability to shoot the ball."

And Heiden's average of 2½ assists shows he can also find others such as Reed, Toth and Jason Leblebijian for good shots. He's also played a big leadership role in Camardella's first year as head coach.

"He's put all the confidence in us and we have all the confidence in him," said Heiden, who played for Camardella as a freshman. "The relationship works both ways."

It's been a successful one with Heiden, who plans to study business with a 4.7 grade point average on a 5.0 scale and a 29 ACT, getting Division III interest from Augustana, Coe, Denison and Judson.

"I told him from the beginning," Camardella said, "'Jeff, the ball is in your hands, we're winning or losing with you."

All the percentages prove it was the right move.