Brian Patrick Heaney (born September 3, 1946) is a former American professional basketball player and coach. He spent one season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Baltimore Bullets during the 1969–70 season.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1946-09-03) September 3, 1946 (age 76) |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Bishop Loughlin Memorial (Brooklyn, New York) |
| College | Acadia (1964–1969) |
| NBA draft | 1969 / Round: 19 / Pick: 215th overall |
| Selected by the Baltimore Bullets | |
| Playing career | 1969–1970 |
| Position | Guard |
| Number | 11 |
| Career history | |
| 1969–1970 | Baltimore Bullets |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 28 (2.0 ppg) |
| Assists | 6 (0.4 apg) |
| Games played | 14 |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Heaney attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Brooklyn, New York, before enrolling at Acadia University in Canada in 1964.[1] He helped the Axemen win the 1965 Canadian University Men's Basketball National Championships. Heaney earned CIS Tournament All-Star Team honors in 1965 and 1966 and was a First Team All-Canadian in 1969.[2] He set a single-game scoring record of 74 points.[3]
He was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets in the 19th round of the 1969 NBA draft from Acadia University. Heaney was the first CIAU player to play in the NBA[3] and along with Jim Zoet, are the only two U Sports players to have played in an NBA game.[4] He split the 1969-70 season between the Bullets, scoring a total of 30 points in the NBA, and the Sunbury Mercuries of the Eastern League.[1]
In 1971, he was named head men's basketball coach at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia.[5] Under his guidance, the Huskies won national titles in 1973, 1978 and 1979.[3] Heaney was the recipient of the Stuart W. Aberdeen Memorial Trophy as CIS Coach of the Year in 1973.[6] In 1975, Heaney became the head coach of Canada's Women's National Team and took the squad to the 1976 Olympic Games, before returning to Saint Mary's in 1977.[5] He served as head coach until 1979. During his seven-year tenure as the Huskies' head coach, Heaney had a record of 87 wins and 21 losses.[7]
After working as head coach of the University of Alberta men's basketball team from 1979 to 1983[8] and of the University of Toronto men's basketball team[9] from 1983 to 1985, Heaney took a job in the financial services sector and became a CIS and NBA broadcaster.[3] In 2002, he served as Honorary Chairman of the CIS Men's Championship.[5] From 2007 to 2010, Heaney was the athletic director at Acadia University and then returned to his business job and broadcasting.[10]
During the 2000s, Heaney also served as a studio analyst for TSN on their Toronto Raptors NBA broadcasts.[11][12]
Heaney is a member of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame,[13] Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame[14] and the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame.[15]