Miles Heide, Mount Si 2023 forward, son of former Oregon State players, riding flurry of Division I attention

Miles Heide had a feeling he could turn enough heads after Mount Si's 25-1 season and 4A state runner-up finish playing with a productive spring and summer in front of college coaches.

So far, he's done just that. Heide, Mount Si’s 6-foot-9, 225-pound class of 2023 forward, reeled in a flurry of Division I offers during a dominant June — the month of the summer designed for high school teams.

He received offers from Iowa, Washington State, Loyola Chicago, San Jose State, San Diego State and New Mexico State. All in all, some 12 offers have come his way since the high school season ended.

"I'm taking it as I can," Heide said. "I'm having fun with it."

Heide's rise as one of the top high school bigs in the state of Washington shouldn't come as a surprise, considering his parents Sissel Heide (formerly Sissel Pierce) and Jason Heide are towering figures who played in the post at Oregon State in the 90s. 

It’s his depth of understanding how to play with his size, athleticism and skill that has unlocked a next step in his development, according to Mount Si coach Jason Griffith.

In-game, that looks like knowing when to drop his hips and play certain angles. When to pass in order to change the defense’s spacing and open up opportunities. And even extending his jumper beyond the 3-point arc.

(RELATED: 6 questions with Curtis basketball standout Zoom Diallo)

In a month earmarked by a short-manned loss to Eastside Catholic in the championship game and a weekend at Section 7 in Arizona — maybe the top June high school tournament on the west coast — Miles Heide treated it as a proving ground.

He averaged 21.5 points, 19.5 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game in Arizona, further cementing himself among the top 2023 bigs on the west coast.

Up next? A July playing with Elite Sports Academy’s — formerly Team Lavine — 17U team alongside Curtis’ Zoom Diallo and 6-foot-9 forward Seth Horn from The Northwest School.

Though he’s predominately a low-post scorer, Miles Heide has been working on facing up to the basket from the high post or short corner and honing his jumper to lure defenders to bite in those situations.

“It’s definitely an addition to my game that wasn’t exactly there last year,” Miles Heide said. “It’s new, but I’m comfortable with it, so it’s good.”

Miles Heide hopes to put around 10 pounds on by the time he steps on a college campus as a freshman, but it’s not his physical development that has turned heads. 

Portland — often an early-offerer to in-state signees under head coach Shantay Legans — was the first to offer during his COVID-shortened sophomore season, in which he averaged 7.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. 

His junior year, he emerged as one of the state's top bigs, averaging 14.5 points, 10.1 boards and 2.3 blocks per game for the No. 1 team in the state in Class 4A, Mount Si, which ran the table in the 4A KingCo, Sea-King districts and the state tournament before losing to Curtis in overtime of the 4A title game. 

He's being recruited the most actively by Iowa, Colorado, Washington State and Utah, USCB and SDSU, though Colorado and Utah have yet to offer. The uptick in interest has given him a chance to delve into his research of each school. Outside of an offer from in-state national powerhouse Gonzaga, there's not an offer he covets over the rest. 

Recruiting has evolved drastically since his parents were in school, but they've provided balance and perspective Miles Heide has found helpful as his recruitment has heated up. 

"It's definitely helpful considering they've gone through everything and know what the deal is with these different schools," Miles Heide said.

--Andy Buhler; @AndyBuhler.