Noah Hedrick '26 Recruiting Profile

My name is Noah Hedrick and I will be a junior at Fred T. Foard High School.    My personal goal is to attend college pursuing a degree in business or sports  management and play basketball at the collegiate level. Although my years of basketball experience may not be as extensive as other class of 2026 recruits, I believe my dedication to putting in the extra work to become a successful basketball player throughout high school, combined with my academic performance, make me a strong college prospect. As long as I can remember, sports have been a positive outlet to develop lifelong friendships with teammates and coaches, build confidence and self-esteem, release energy, and provide a structured environment. I have been a competitive athlete since the age of 6 when I began swimming for a year-round club team. During middle school, I was achieving state level times as a long-distance swimmer, playing school and travel soccer, and developing my basketball skills. Being able to balance commitment to training 6 days a week, several hours a day, and participating in multiple sports, all while excelling academically, has instilled core values of teamwork, responsibility, sportsmanship, and goal orientation.  

As I was transitioning to high school, I felt my passion for swimming start to shift which led to an internal struggle of continuing a sport I was very good at and potentially perform at the collegiate level, but not being satisfied because of my desire to play basketball.  Everything changed when the high school basketball coach told the swim coach on the first day of try-outs, “I’m sorry, but he’s a baller!” It was a challenge trying to participate in two winter sports with conflicting practice schedules, games, and swim meets, but I did. I didn’t want to disappoint my teammates, parents, or coaches, but it was apparent my passion and drive for basketball was more powerful. Listening to friends and family question my decision to leave the sport I was a “natural” was difficult at the time, but it motivated me to work harder and prove to them I was not just a fast swimmer.   I knew my opportunity to fully commit to basketball was now or never! 

As a result, my focus changed to maximizing my basketball skills and performance, increasing muscle strength, speed, and agility, and taking advantage of my growth spurt at the time. My overall performance improved through daily basketball workouts with the high school coaching staff, velocity skills training on various basketball fundamentals, AAU participation, and strength/conditioning training. I also joined the cross-country team to boost my endurance in preparation for basketball season. Little did I know, all my experience with long-distance swimming and pacing resulted in an extremely successful cross-country season and leader of the men’s XC team in high school.