Mustapha Heron took a look at the NBA, after two very strong seasons at Auburn. Instead, he will return to college, but is not going to play for Bruce Pearl’s team. Heron is looking for a hardship waiver, and is expected to transfer closer to home.
Heron is a native of Waterbury, Connecticut. His mother is currently dealing with an ongoing illness, and lives in West Haven. His father spoke about the situation with ZagsBlog:
“What people don’t know is Mustapha’s mom has been sick for a year,” Bryan Heron said Tuesday by phone. “Being home, he wants to get closer to his mom. He knew he had to go back to school. The last month he’s been here and he wants to be close to his mom, where she can see him play.”
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“He’s going to apply for it, but if he doesn’t get it, it is what it is after that,” Bryan said, adding that Thalia has had 30 doctors appointments and five emergency room visits in the last year. “But he definitely wants to be where he can see his mom on the regular.”
UConn was the obvious program that many pointed to, considering proximity to home. However, it is unclear if the program has room on the roster to make it work.
Others in Connecticut media have called St. John’s the favorite to land Heron. The Red Storm was a finalist when Auburn ultimately landed Heron.
He was once committed to Pitt. The Panthers have reportedly inquired, along with Boston College, Maryland, Penn State, and some others that are farther away. However, some of those are not all that local, if proximity to his mother is a huge factor, as has been said.
One program that is very close, and is reportedly a factor for Mustapha Heron: Fairfield.
The Stags play in the MAAC, and are undoubtedly the smallest program connected to Heron. Two different Rivals writers say that Fairfield is legitimately in play, though.
Fairfield University’s campus is only about 30 minutes from West Haven, and 45 from his hometown of Waterbury. That is about 45 minutes closer to his mother than UConn, and significantly closer than the rest of his options.
It may seem unlikely that he will go to a MAAC school with other big options, and without speaking to him directly, that may be true. However, if being close to family is truly the No. 1 priority in this choice, it could happen.