TAMPA, Fla. – Don’t ever give up. That is the message Devin Haid has for a student-athlete who might find him or herself in a situation similar to what he experienced. Haid kept pecking away to realize a dream of playing college basketball and at age 26 is part of a conference championship team at USF.
“If you want to do something in life, then work for it regardless of how long it takes because any dream is possible,” said the 6-foot-5 guard in USF’s Muma Center on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Bulls defeated Tulane to clinch at least a share of the American Conference regular season title. “Don’t ever give up. It is that simple.”
USF is Haid’s fourth school in as many years. Unlike many college athletes who make it a habit of moving around the country in search of greener grass, Haid’s journey has been far, far different.
Colleges did not have much interest in Haid when he was at Wooster High in his native Ohio, about 95 miles northeast of Columbus. In fact, he did not have a single offer. He went to work at Wal-Mart and served as a camp counselor at a YMCA. All the while, he kept in shape and hooped it up with friends.
“I always worked out and got into the gym,” he said. “Me and the guys always played basketball, so I never stopped playing basketball during that time.”
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He never stopped dreaming, either, and got a break more than three years after graduating high school.
Making an impression, launching a career
Haid displayed his skill in front of coaches at an open run session – a tryout within a game environment — in Cleveland, about an hour north of Wooster. He attracted the interest of Aaron Nixon, the coach of nearby Cuyahoga Community College, which suspended athletics for the 2021-22 academic year before ramping back up in 2022-23. That is when Haid put himself on the map.
“(Nixon) asked me what I was doing, and I told him my story,” recalled Haid. “He knew I was older, and opened a door for me. If it was not for him, I probably would not be here. We still talk to this day.”
The 22-year-old freshman led the Tri-C Triceratops in averaging exactly 20 points in 31 games. It was a performance that opened another door, one to NCAA hoops.
“It was an interesting year,” Haid said of his lone season at Division II Notre Dame College in South Euclid, less than 10 miles from Tri-C.
Haid spent only one season with the Falcons because the small Catholic school closed its doors in the summer of 2024 due to financial difficulties amid declining enrollment after 102 years of operation.
“We found out toward the end of the season the school was closing, but it was a great year for us,” he said. “There were great guys on the team and great coaches.”
Haid again led his team is scoring (15.9) and, in need of a new school, weighed a few options before choosing to attend Central Connecticut State and play for the Division I Blue Devils. He earned second-team Northeast Conference honors for coach Pat Sellers’ squad, averaging 14.2 points and shooting 49.3 percent from the field. Then Bryan Hodgson came calling with an opportunity to move up within the DI ranks.
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“One thing that really stood out to me is he really knows the game of basketball,” said Haid, of the impression Hodgson initially made. “He understands winning and understands what it takes to get players to the next level. It was a special feeling. You already knew, like, great things were going to happen.”
Helping lead the Bulls
Haid heads into Thursday’s game at Memphis (9 p.m./ESPN2) having played in 20 of the Bulls’ 29 games and chipping in 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11 minutes per contest. What he otherwise brings to Hodgson’s team extends light years beyond the stat sheet.
“He has been a major part of what we are doing here,” said the first-year USF coach. “It is a great story of resilience and drive. Sometimes in life you have to beat down doors, and Dev has done that. I think that added perspective is so helpful to his younger teammates, and when I say younger, all of his teammates are younger than him. He has been a mentor to some of these guys and it is really cool to see.”
The mentorship is something Haid feels comes naturally. (Remember, he was a camp counselor at a YMCA.) It is not fake and it is not forced. Rather, it is experience and he does not shy away from speaking up, though in a calm and professional manner.
“I try to direct the younger guys the best way I can,” he said. “If I see something, I will pull them aside and let them know what I think. Usually, we just talk basketball.”
Haid, whose parents will see him in person in a USF uniform for the first time when they attend Sunday afternoon’s Senior Day matchup versus Charlotte, has enjoyed being part of a team that heads to Memphis having won seven straight and 10 of 11.
“It is a super connected group that loves to win and is willing to do whatever it takes to win,” he said of a group that has won 13 of 16 conference tilts. “We work super hard every day. Coach recruited great guys and coming into this we knew we were going to get that brotherhood.”
And Devin Haid is a big brother.
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