GAINESVILLE — If he didn’t have the No. 3 on his back, he’d be hard to pick out of the crowd.
But make no mistake, opponents have come to know where Carson Heinen is at all times.
The senior sharp-shooter for three years has almost quietly put together one of the best careers ever for a North Hall player -- and there is still plenty of basketball left for Heinen and the Trojans this season.
Heinen currently sits fifth on the all-time scoring list for North Hall with 1,266 points, just 90 points behind Ebo Smith, who helped lead North Hall to a Class AAA Final Four appearance in 2013.
Ronnie Hulsey (2005) tops the list at 1,586 points with Ryan Franklin (2002) second at 1,548. Brian Hall (1995) is third with 1,480 and Smith (2013) fourth at 1,480 points.
With a deep run in the upcoming state tournament, Heinen, who is averaging 19 points a game this season, could move past Smith and maybe even Hall. The Trojans have five regular season games left and at least one Region 8-AAAA tournament game remaining.
For Heinen, who had no idea he had climbed that high on the scoring list, his one year playing alongside his “idol” Smith -- as a freshman -- helped him develop as a player.
“I grew up watching Ebo play and I wanted to be just like him,” Heinen said. “It’s awesome to be mentioned in that group. I learned a lot from Ebo about how to be a good teammate and a good leader.
“Kind of shocked I’m close to those guys, really. I didn’t play much my freshman year so I haven’t really thought much about it. ”
Heinen may have been a reserve on that 2013 squad, but even then coach Tyler Sanders, who was an assistant on that team, saw the potential.
“Really that whole freshman group we thought would be pretty good,” Sanders said. “I worked with them a lot in middle school and you could see that there was something there. But it wasn’t until he and that group were sophomores that they really got their shot.”
And Heinen has been shooting ever since. But he doesn’t resemble your typical high-powered scorer. He doesn’t launch at every opportunity. In fact, since early on in his sophomore year, he knew he would command extra attention almost from the opening tip.
“I’m usually double-teamed early on so I just kind of rely on my teammates and wait for things to come to me,” he said. “I don’t try to be too aggressive. That’s not really my game. But I like to have the ball if we need a big shot.”
Sanders said Heinen is more than just a scorer, however.
“He does so many things well,” he said. “He can rebound; he can really dish the ball well, and he’s a good defender. He’s really a complete player.
“But he’s not real flashy out there. He just plays the game the way you’re supposed to play. And he’s got great teammates and they play well together. After the game you’ll look at the stat sheet and he’s had another complete game without really realizing it. He just does whatever is needed to help the team.”
North Hall may need Heinen to take a little more control down the stretch. The Trojans (15-5, 3-1 Region 8-AAAA) currently sit tied for third with White County behind region unbeatens Buford and Stephens County (the Wolves and Indians were set to square off on Friday until the game was postponed due to winter weather). North Hall's only region loss was to Buford after letting a late lead slip away in the final minute.
North Hall plays host to Johnson on Tuesday and closes out its regular season at Stephens County in what could be a showdown for second place or even the top seed in the region tournament.
“There are five teams that could win this region; it’s really close,” Sanders said. “There will be one good team not going to the state tournament. For us, we just need Carson and the rest of the guys to just keep doing what they have been doing all year.”
Heinen admits that a strong finish and deep run in the state tournament are something he and the rest of the seniors are trying to make happen.
“We definitely feel like we can win the region,” he said. “We were disappointed in how last year ended [a first-round loss to Cartersville] and we want to make a deeper run this year. I think we’re good enough to do that if we work hard and play our game.”
