There’s been a few bumps along the way, but Winnipeg’s Simon Hildebrandt has no regrets over his decision to leave the Manitoba Bisons men’s basketball team late last summer.
It’s been six months since Hildebrandt transferred to the NCAA division one High Point University Panthers after playing two seasons for the Herd.
“Definitely one of the toughest decisions I’ve had to make in my short basketball career,” Hildebrandt said.
Leaving his hometown wasn’t easy, but the 2023 Canada West rookie of the year is enjoying life in the NCAA in the basketball mecca of North Carolina.
“It’s unbelievable here,” said Hildebrandt. “Words can’t describe how it’s been so far. Like, just things from, just like the campus, and how I’m living, and how classes are going, to the on-court product playing basketball. Everything has been exceeding my expectations.”
To realize his dream of playing division one hoops, Hildebrandt sacrificed his eligibility to return to the Winnipeg Sea Bears this summer after suiting up the last two seasons for his hometown team.
His United States university career got off to a rocky start as a stress fracture in his foot kept him out of the lineup for the first 11 games. He still won’t be at 100 per cent for the rest of the season, but feels like he’s now finding his groove on the court.
“I’m playing enough minutes to keep me happy,” he said. “Each game I feel like I’m getting just a little bit more comfortable in our system. I’m playing with our guys, and I feel like I’m still just getting better.”
Hildebrandt has been coming off the bench and has averaged 13 minutes a night with a little more than six points per game in his first 20 contests.
The Panthers are in first place in the Big South conference with an overall record of 25-5 and they have a good shot at qualifying for the big tournament.
“We should have a pretty good chance of trying to make March Madness, which at the end of the day is the goal,” said Hildebrandt.
“And I think a big part of the reason I came here was I felt like what Coach (Alan) Huss was just telling me about everybody here — is this team is built to hopefully make the tournament and see if we can make a run. And I think we got the guys to do that.”