Wilhelm Breidenbach: Just a Little Bit of Everything
Wilhelm Briedenbach – Mater Dei High School - Class of 2021
Recognized for his signature sports goggles at Mater Dei High School, Wilhelm Breidenbach is more than a pair of specs and presence in the paint. With his mother, Silke Breidenbach, growing up in Gelnhausen, a remote town outside the city of Frankfurt, Wilhelm still holds close ties to his German roots. He and his 14-year-old sister Annabel visit their mother’s hometown every summer, for at least a month. Annabel is currently a freshman basketball and volleyball player at Trabuco Hills High School. Both view the time away as an opportunity to separate themselves from the faster-paced environment of California and spend quality time with family in their small village.
Silke worked in the computer lab at Saddleback College and is described by her son as “extremely caring, selfless, and understanding.” Although she passed away six years ago, she always found a way to put him and his sister before everything, “regardless of the sacrifice she had to make,” said Briedenbach His father, Jeff, an IT Director at Saddleback, was born and raised in Yorba Linda after his mother moved there from New Jersey. For the last 6 years, Jeff’s held down the fort, being his son’s sounding board, while still allowing him to make his own decisions.
Growing up, Breindenbach spent most of his time outdoors. Whether he was playing soccer, roller hockey, or hiking, he felt most at home when he gets the opportunity to clear his head and do something active. His comfort comes from spending time with his family and friends. Whether that’s watching “Stranger Things” with his father and sister, appreciating action movies like Rambo, 20 years before his time, or challenging his friends to a game of Clash Royale, he’s found a strong balance between being active and unwinding at home.
Breidenbach’s close relationships have also extended onto the court. He’s developed strong connections with teammates Nick Davidson, Aidan Prukop, and Ryan Evans, having played with them since childhood. He’s seen how valuable their relationships off-the-court have been in transitioning onto it. Adding to that group, he’s built close strong bonds with senior forward Logan Cremonesi and junior forward Casey Jones. They do nothing but “push each other every day to work harder and get better and everyone wants the best for each other,” says Wilhelm. That compassion and understanding from his friends carries through when he can’t dedicate as much time to them as he’d like.
Looking forward to next year, and eventually college, Breindenbach knows he’ll hold onto those relationships, but is excited about developing new ones in college. Although he’s grateful for every offer he continues to receive, he spoke, particularly, about three: Stanford, Nebraska, and Virginia. Describing a potential opportunity at Stanford, he says “obviously, when it comes to getting an education, Stanford is unparalleled and their system fits me well”. In regards to Nebraska, he feels like “the coaching staff does a great job of developing guys” and he’d be able to attain a degree in the field where he views his future. Lastly, Virginia’s “system would fit” him well and “the coaching staff made him comfortable” with how his skills translated to their style of play. Something for recruiters to note is one of his values in a coach when speaking about former bench boss Sarkis Kara, saying he’s “someone who knows how to use what we did well to help our team win and still focus on our own individual development”.
No matter where he plays after high school, Breindenbach knows he has to improve. Whether it’s his strength, conditioning, or fine tuning his fundamentals, his primary goal on the court is winning a championship. Yet off the court, he’s preparing for a future not too far from it, with a focus on physical therapy once his playing career is over. Light-hearted, energetic, and just trying to make the most of the opportunities he’s given, Wilhelm’s personality is similar to how he describes his music taste, “just a little bit of everything.”