CEDAR CITY, Utah - Cameron Healy will be entering his sixth season of college basketball when the 2022-23 season officially begins. Healy is originally from Sydney, Australia, and he first came to the United States during his junior year of high school, enrolling at well-renowned Montverde Academy. Healy made it to the High School National Championship game his senior year, playing alongside players like RJ Barrett and Leaky Black, among others. After a successful high school career, Healy opted to accept a scholarship offer from the University of Albany in 2017. Healy redshirted his first year with the program before going on to have one of the most successful freshman seasons in program history.
In his first season on the court with the Great Danes, Healy started all 32 games, amassing averages of 16.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. Healy led the team in a multitude of categories, including scoring, three-pointers made, and free-throw percentage. He set freshman program records for single-season scoring (512 points), three-pointers made in a season (104), and three-pointers made in a single game (9). Healy scored in double-figures in 29 out of 32 contests throughout the year, including nine 20-point games, and he scored a season-high 31 points against Binghamton.
In his redshirt-sophomore season, Healy appeared in 31 games, making 23 starts for the Great Danes. He totaled averages of 14.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game, while shooting 35.6 percent from three-point range and an incredible 90.8 percent from the free-throw line, ranking as the fifth best free-throw percentage in the country for the season.
Healy set a single-game program record by exploding for a career-high 41 points on 13-23 shooting, including knocking down 8-14 shots from three and 7-7 shots from the free-throw line. Healy also had a streak of 58 consecutive games with a made three-pointer across his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Prior to his redshirt-junior season, Healy suffered an SI joint sprain in his lower back, which limited his ability to workout and prepare for the season. Healy recovered in time to play in Albany's first game of the COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season; but, while he was warming up for the season-opening contest, he suffered an oblique tear, sidelining him for a good portion of the season. Healy managed to return for the latter half of the season, but he struggled to reacclimate and fully recover from his injury. He finished the year with 12 appearances, averaging 3.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
At the conclusion of the season, Healy opted to enter the transfer portal to find a new program to play for in his redshirt-senior season. Healy received interest from numerous schools, including Southern Utah, but eventually chose to transfer to MAC school Central Michigan.
In his lone season with the Chippewas this past year, Healy appeared in 28 contests and made 21 starts. He finished the season with averages of 11.7 points and 2.4 rebounds per game, while knocking down 36.5 percent of his three-point attempts throughout the year. Healy reached double-figure scoring in 15 contests and had a season-high 32-point outing against Kent State.
At the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, despite having one year of eligibility remaining, Healy had made up his mind that he was going to forego his final year of college eligibility and begin a professional career back home in Australia.
"I was actually planning on going back to Australia after last season to play professionally," said Healy. "My parents were in Singapore, and I actually moved all of my stuff over there and was going to head to Australia after, but my mom wanted me to talk to some schools and explore all my options before I made a final decision. I chose an agent, and he advised me that if I felt like I still had something left to prove in college, I should give it one more season, because professional basketball will always be on the table, but I only had one more opportunity to play college basketball."
After much thought and consideration, Healy decided that he wanted one more opportunity to play collegiate basketball, and he opted to use his final year of eligibility before turning professional.
When Healy reopened his recruitment, Southern Utah was one of the first teams that he got in contact with; and, for a variety of reasons, he chose to compete with the Thunderbirds for his final season.
One of the biggest factors in his decision to commit to SUU was that his former high school teammate, Felix Lemetti, had committed to play for the Thunderbirds a few weeks prior. Although the two had only contacted each other here and there since high school, Healy expressed how strong of a relationship they had in high school, and that factor played into his decision to attend SUU.
"Felix was actually who got me here. I saw he committed, and it was right when I started reaching back out to schools and finalizing my options. When I saw that I was going to have a built-in best friend here, combined with already knowing the coaches from the first time that I transferred, it gave me a huge level of comfort, and it just seemed like a perfect fit. All the coaches and my teammates here have been so welcoming and supportive, so it feels like it's been the perfect decision."
Healy has strong expectations for the Thunderbirds this season, and he is incredibly excited to be a part of a program that anticipates winning.
"The expectation here is to win. They've been really good the past two years, and we are going into a new conference; but, to me, I think it's more of a mental thing than a physical one. I think we can be really competitive, and it's going to come down to the little things for us, like are we playing as a team, and toughness. A lot of college games are close, but it's the teams that can win the close ones through those gritty and tough plays that are really successful. We'll see what our identity is, but hopefully we are always the tougher team."
In terms of expectations for himself, Healy is focused on appreciating every moment of his final collegiate season and not taking anything for granted.
"This is my last year of college basketball, so I'm really just focused on making the most of it. I only have one year, so just knowing that going in, I know that I have to make the most of this opportunity, and that's where my head is everyday. Every moment is unique to me, because this isn't a four-year deal; it's a one-year deal, and it's my last one in college."
If Healy had to state one part of his game that he thinks separates him from others, it would be that he has the ability to score in a variety of ways, making him a tough player to defend.
Healy had never been to Utah before committing to SUU; but, he stated that he already loves living in the area and thinks it's a phenomenal fit for him. His favorite aspects of living in Cedar City are the people in the community and the exceptional year-round weather. His favorite restaurant is Mo'Bettahs, which he says he goes to every other day, and his go-to order is a regular plate with katsu chicken, teriyaki steak, white rice, and macaroni.
Healy stated that it's been difficult to be so far away from his family; but, it makes it all that more memorable when they are able to make it to his games, and they have plans to make a few this season.
Healy's favorite things to do outside of basketball include hanging out with his teammates, playing guitar, and playing Call of Duty and other video games.
For now, Healy will focus on taking it one day at a time in his final collegiate season, as he continues to prepare to compete at a high level for the Thunderbirds this year and hopefully have the best season of his career thus far.
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