Purdue basketball and Camden Heide have a secret, but the secret is out now
WEST LAFAYETTE − Camden Heide would like to see a preseason slam dunk contest in Mackey Arena.
With no such event in place, Heide used his redshirt season last year to make pregame warmups his own personal dunking showcase.
It got fans excited for that night's game, but more so eager to see Heide on the floor this season to be showered with arena-erupting responses when he did them against actual competition.
Heide had a secret, though. Purdue basketball coach Matt Painter knew it, too.
But they slyly let outsiders believe Heide was simply a highlight-reel dunk machine.
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"I think a lot of people don't realize I shot 40 percent from 3 in high school," Heide said. "A lot of people don't really think I can shoot just because of the dunking."
Well, the secret is out now.
Heide drained 3 of 4 3-pointers in a season-opening win against Samford last week.
"From a value standpoint, his value really raises making shots and making plays," Painter said.
In Heide's first official game since November of 2021, when a grueling bout with foot injuries began, he scored 13 points against Samford.
While he didn't hit a 3 in his second game, a win over Morehead State, Heide wasn't afraid to let it fly when he had a look from beyond the arc.
"It really just comes from confidence," Heide said. "Any time you get the ball, I've taken however many shots in my life, so for me to not have the utmost confidence in my shot is kind of a lack of self respect I view it as because I put in so much time."
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The competition level raises on Monday when Xavier visits Mackey Arena.
Heide has added another element.
Not his 3-point shooting, which is an added bonus, but that ability to attack the basket, rise over a defender and bring down the house with a rim-rattling dunk.
Through two regular season games, Heide hasn't done that yet, although he almost did Friday night against Morehead State, but was fouled mid flight.
Purdue lacked that a year ago.
"As long as he's doing that and he's got an angle, I am all for it. That's how he got hurt overseas but I like someone being that aggressive," Painter said. "We haven't had somebody like that that is 6-7, 6-8, whatever he is, that when he dribbles, it's just a missile going to the basket and he's going to dunk it."
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Highlight-reel dunker Camden Heide of Purdue basketball can shoot, too
