Bryce Heard, Illinois 4-star shooting guard, commits to NC State, reclassifies

Heard led Homewood-Flossmoor to Illinois state championship as junior

Nate Latsch, SBLive Sports | Jul 24, 2024

Homewood-Flossmoor 2025 shooting guard Bryce Heard / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive

Homewood-Flossmoor standout guard Bryce Heard had two announcements on Wednesday afternoon.

Heard, the No. 87 prospect in the Class of 2025 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, announced his commitment to North Carolina State and also that he was reclassifying and joining the Wolfpack for the upcoming 2024-25 season.

Heard picked NC State over finalists Xavier, Mississippi State and USC.

"Going on the visit to NC State, it felt like the right school," Heard told On3.com. "It matched my play style and had coaches that believed in me to come in and be a impact player."

A dynamic 6-foot-5, 185-pound shooting guard, Heard returned to Illinois for his junior season after spending his sophomore year at powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida. He led Homewood-Flossmoor to a 33-4 record and the Illinois Class 4A championship while averaging 16.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game for the Vikings.

Heard helped fuel the Vikings' second-half comeback to beat New Trier in the semifinals and then recorded a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game win over Normal Community. It was the school's first boys basketball state title.

"It's a great feeling," Heard said. "We came out and did it for the community. ... This is why I came back, to win a championship for this community."

Heard was ranked as the No. 2 player in Illinois in the Class of 2025, behind Kenwood Academy's Aleks Alston, by several recruiting websites. He was ranked around the No. 100 prospect nationally – No. 95 by Rivals, No. 108 by 247Sports and No. 111 by On3 – but will now reclassify and officially become a member of the Class of 2024.

Homewood-Flossmoor (Illinois) 2025 shooting guard Bryce Heard

Homewood-Flossmoor 2025 shooting guard Bryce Heard / Photo by Nate Latsch, SBLive

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- Nate Latsch | latsch@scorebooklive.com

Published Jul 24, 2024

NATE LATSCH, SBLIVE SPORTS

Nate Latsch is a Regional Editor at SBLive Sports overseeing high school coverage for Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. A veteran sportswriter and multimedia content creator, Latsch has covered high school sports in the St. Louis area and Missouri for 20 years, with a focus on high school football, basketball, baseball and football and basketball recruiting. He has worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, STLhighschoolsports.com, the Associated Press, FOX Sports Midwest, MLB.com and Scout.com. In addition to covering high school sports, Latsch has covered youth, college and professional sports, including covering the St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Blues and St. Louis Rams, the University of Missouri and Saint Louis University.