If Drake Mayo doesn’t work out with the New England Patriots, perhaps head coach Jerod Mayo should pay a visit to the Auerbach Center.
I’m only half joking. Baylor Scheierman, the Boston Celtics’ first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, also happens to be a high school football legend. Before choosing a career in hoops, Scheierman was one of the top quarterback prospects in his home state of Nebraska and was actually scouted to play college football.
The numbers are impressive. As a senior at Aurora High School in Nebraska, Scheierman tallied a state-record 3,942 yards and 59 touchdowns in his 13 games, leading his team to the Class C championship. His highlight reel looks like something out of a video game.
So what led Scheierman to pursue a career in basketball instead of trying to succeed as a quarterback? The 24-year-old told NBC Sports Boston’s Celtics Media Day He spoke about his football past during a livestream show with co-hosts Kayla Barton, Mark D’Amico and Eddie House.
“Basketball has always been my first love and something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a kid,” Scheierman said, as seen in the video player above. “Football didn’t really come to fruition until much later, and at that point I was already committed to South Dakota State. That’s what I always wanted to do.”
Scheierman also acknowledged that several “mid-major FCS schools” have recruited him to play football, and he has visited the University of Nebraska. However, the Cornhuskers wanted him to change positions, and that request may have tilted him toward pursuing basketball instead of football.
“Nebraska State wanted me to play tight end at the time,” Scheierman recalled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m not doing that.'”
The rest is history: The 6-foot-6 wing joined the South Dakota State University basketball team and spent three seasons there before transferring to Creighton in 2022. He averaged a career-high 18.5 points per game as a senior with the Blue Jays and caught the attention of the Celtics, who selected him with a first-round pick at No. 30 overall since 2020. .
But Scheierman hasn’t completely forgotten about his QB background. He’s an underrated playmaker who averaged nearly four assists per game last season at Creighton, and whose vision on the court comes from his time at quarterback and one of basketball’s great court maestros, Pete Maravich. He attributes this to both his interests.
“When I was in middle school, my favorite player was Pistol Pete, so I watched how he passed with a little bit of flair,” Scheierman said. “When I was a kid, I watched a movie called “The Pistol: Birth of a Legend” about his high school experiences, and I grew up watching it over and over again.
“Yeah, that’s where the passing sense in my game came from. And I played quarterback in high school as well.”
According to his resume, “played quarterback” is a huge understatement. But if Scheierman’s passing ability reaches the NBA level, it would go a long way in helping him carve out a role on a loaded Celtics roster.
Watch the full interview with Scheierman below or on YouTube.