Periodically over the summer we will check in with a quick look at former Hoosier basketball players to find out what they are up to now. Last week we updated you on Bracey Wright. Today we look at Will Sheehey, who played for IU from 2010 to 2014.
Little was known about the core players in Tom Crean’s 2010 Indiana recruiting class. Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey were both relative unknown 3-stars ranked outside of the top 100. Sheehey was more of a complimentary players on his summer circuit team that included Fab Melo, Josh Langford and Damien Leonard.
When IU offered the Stuart, Florida native, his main offers were from Stanford, Northwestern and George Washington, although he would later add offers from Michigan, Arizona State and Georgia Tech.
As a freshman on a team that was still filling out its roster, Sheehey saw significant action in mostly a reserve role. His most memorable moment during that season was almost certainly this dunk against Iowa that electrified the Assembly Hall crowd.
At that moment many IU fans realized that the Hoosiers had more in Sheehey than they originally realized. He saw more action in his sophomore season as the Hoosiers improved significantly. He capped off a successful second year with a memorable game-winning NCAA Tournament shot against VCU.
During his junior season, Sheehey won the Big Ten’s 6th man of the year award. He averaged 9.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He had a memorable school record 9 for 9 game from the field at home against Purdue that year. He was also known as a strong defender, and he brought a needed edge to the 2013 Big Ten champion team.
When many think of Sheehey, this image comes to mind. It isn’t just because it happened at Purdue in connection with a 37 point blowout win. More than that, Sheehey had a fire and a tenacity that has been missing from the Indiana roster in the last couple years.
In a starting role for his senior season, he averaged 11.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He finished his IU career with 1,120 points, good for the top-40 all-time.
Sheehey was the first well-known Indiana player to wear the jersey number zero — although that has changed since then, and the number will take on a whole new meaning in the 2018-19 campaign.
ON TO THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS
Professional basketball can be a journey, and Sheehey bounced around during his rookie season.
He started his rookie season as pro in Montenegro with Buducnost. After a brief stint there, he moved on to the NBA D-League (Fort Wayne Mad Ants and Los Angeles D-Fenders), and then finished the year in Greece with Panionios. He averaged 9.8 points per game there.
For his second season, Sheehey played in France for Stade Olympique Maritime Boulonnais, and in year three, he came back to North America and played for the Raptors 905 in the NBA G-League. There he posted 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
For the 2017-18 season, Sheehey headed back overseas. This time for Futebol Clube do Porto in Portugal.
Sheehey had a successful 2017-18 campaign for FC Porto. He averaged 14.0 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in FIBA Europe Cup action, and then 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game in the Portuguese league.
He reached a two-year contract extension with the club in April.
The NBA dream has stayed within his sights, as Sheehey (now 26) has participated in the NBA Summer League on several occasions, including in 2014 for the Knicks, 2015 for the Pelicans, and 2017 for the Raptors.
Sheehey will once again compete in the annual summer “The Basketball Tournament” for Armored Athlete (along with former IU teammate Jordan Hulls), with a chance to claim a winner-take-all $2 million prize.
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