Camden Heide made sure to show his appreciation toward Purdue after the electric college basketball game in the Sweet Sixteen of March Madness. It was an admirable moment of sportsmanship for Texas.
He is a stand-up guy!
In an era of college basketball where players are allowed to transfer as many times as they want, there is bound to be a matchup between past and present. Heide’s reunion with his former teammates is the perfect example of how to handle a potentially awkward situation.
Texas could not outlast Purdue during March Madness.
The Sweet 16 matchup between the Longhorns and the Boilermakers came down to the final possession. The No. 2 seed barely held on to defeat the No. 11 seed on a putback tip-in by Trey Kaufman-Renn with less than one second remaining.
Your hero tonight: Trey Kaufman-Renn.
— Rocco Miller (@RoccoMiller8) March 27, 2026
Heartbreak Hotel for the Horns.
FINAL: Boilers 79, Horns 77. pic.twitter.com/UBGMEGTUPI
There have been a few really good games during March Madness. This was the most exciting because of the stakes.
Texas jumped out to an early lead during the first half but Purdue was able to rally in the last few minutes to take a four-point lead into the locker room at the break. It was a similar dogfight during the second half. The Longhorns took back the lead with just over 10 minutes remaining but they could not hold off the Boilermakers during the last five minutes— which took forever because of fouls and reviews. The higher seed prevailed.
Camden Heide showed his appreciation toward his former college basketball teammates.
Junior forward Camden Heide transferred to Texas during the offseason after playing the first two years of his college basketball career at Purdue. The former three-star recruit made eight starts in 75 games for the Boilermakers from 2023-2025 with an average of four points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He played in 35 games with 29 starts for the Longhorns this season with an average of 5.9 points on 49.3% shooting and 2.7 rebounds in 22.5 minutes per game.
The 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward had nothing but good things to say about his former program prior to the Sweet 16 matchup.
“Just the love and support from Purdue fans,” Heide said. “It’s a great university. I’m so happy that I was a Boilermaker. I’ll be a Boilermaker for life. Everyone in my family went to Purdue. It’s super special for me to be a Boilermaker.”
His decision to leave did not stem from disgruntlement. Rather, a new opportunity.
“I just kind of wanted more for myself,” Heide said. “I think going to Texas, hearing what coach Miller had to offer when I went in the portal, was something that really intrigued me, and what I was looking for. And I think at times I’ve really been able to do that this year.”
In the end, Heide was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by the program he chose to leave. His third season of college basketball came to an end at the hands of his former teammates.
That did not stop him from showing his appreciation toward each and every one of them. Heide hugged every single Purdue player and coach in the handshake line.
https://t.co/XD4ElYTurf pic.twitter.com/cmutIMzuLP
— Emily Van Buskirk (@Emilnem) March 27, 2026
The transfer portal era of college sports is weird. Players aren’t staying in one place for their entire careers. They sometimes get matched up against (and lose to) the team they left behind. Instead of letting it get him down and pouting, Camden Heide looked beyond himself and showed the utmost sportsmanship and respect toward a program and people who mean a lot to him. That’s refreshing.