“BALTIMORE – Haywood Highsmith, a former basketball standout hailing from Baltimore, has achieved a remarkable feat by competing in the NBA Finals. Currently representing the Miami Heat, Highsmith, who developed his skills at Baltimore’s Archbishop Curley High School, is actively engaged in a thrilling best-of-seven series against the Denver Nuggets.
Eight years ago, Highsmith was a prominent figure at Archbishop Curley in East Baltimore. However, his talent didn’t draw the attention of prominent college basketball programs, leading him to Wheeling Jesuit, a Division II college in West Virginia.
His journey to the NBA Finals has been anything but conventional. In the series, he has made a significant impact, notably contributing 18 points in the first game and two points in the second game.
Highsmith made his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers three seasons ago and is currently in his second year with the Miami Heat. Although not a starting player, he has actively participated in 13 of Miami’s playoff games, showcasing his basketball prowess. A standout performance of 15 points in a conference final game against the Boston Celtics further solidified his presence.
Highsmith’s basketball odyssey traces back to Archbishop Curley High School, where he first embarked on his journey to pursue basketball excellence. Brian Hubbard, his former coach, couldn’t be prouder of Highsmith’s achievements, emphasizing his relentless dedication and self-made success. He is so self disciplined.
Archbishop Curley Principal Jeremy Joseph expressed deep admiration for Highsmith’s accomplishments, underscoring the entire school community’s immense pride in witnessing his incredible journey to the national basketball stage.”
In a nail-biting showdown at Boston’s TD Garden, the Miami Heat emerged victorious against the Boston Celtics, clinching the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals with a decisive 103-84 win. As the final buzzer sounded, history was etched in Wheeling, West Virginia, where Haywood Highsmith, a former standout for Wheeling University’s Men’s Basketball, achieved a significant milestone. Highsmith’s journey propelled him to become the first Wheeling University Student-Athlete to reach a major professional sports team’s championship game.
Throughout the series, Highsmith played a crucial role coming off the bench for the Heat, making impactful contributions during pivotal moments. Over the course of the seven-game Eastern Conference Finals, he notched an impressive 17 points, along with three rebounds and two assists. A standout performance unfolded in Game 5 against the Celtics, where Highsmith achieved a career-high 15 points, complemented by two rebounds and an assist. For the entire playoff season, Highsmith maintained an average of 3.2 points per game and featured in 13 games as a valuable bench asset for the Heat, averaging just under 10 minutes per game. Highsmith’s journey with the Miami Heat commenced the previous season when he inked a three-year contract. Remarkably, he has now reached the Eastern Conference Finals in consecutive seasons.
Highsmith’s remarkable odyssey in professional basketball traces back to the 2014-2015 season when he joined the Cardinals, just weeks before the commencement of classes. It was during an AAU tournament that he crossed paths with former Wheeling University Head Men’s Basketball coach Danny Sancomb, setting the stage for a transformative opportunity.
“After we did the little tour of campus, (Sancomb) gave me an offer,” recalled Highsmith. “It wasn’t a fully guaranteed offer, it was a partial offer because he was taking a chance on me. From there, it was the decision between going to prep school or going to Wheeling, and I chose Wheeling because I felt like I could build something there, and most of the guys coming in were from the DMV area, so I kind of felt a connection there.”
Once on campus, Highsmith’s journey took flight, transforming from a player who was offered a chance into one who seized every opportunity. During his four seasons in the Red and Black, he guided the Cardinals to the MEC Tournament each year, achieving a milestone with their first regional tournament run during the 2016-17 season, culminating in a Regional Championship game appearance, ultimately won by Fairmont State. Highsmith concluded his four-year stint at Wheeling as the third-highest scorer in team history, amassing an impressive 1,952 career points and securing over 1,000 career rebounds (1,362). Following his graduation from Wheeling in 2018, Highsmith embarked on an overseas basketball journey before signing with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2019. His path included challenging seasons in the G League before landing with the Miami Heat during the 2021-22 season, solidifying his presence on the grand stage of the NBA Finals.”
