WVU Recruiting Player Profile: Terry Henderson

Coach Huggins is bringing another solid recruiting class to Morgantown for next season. It's another 3 player class that probably won't be able to equal the contributions from Huggins's 1st class in 2008, which includes seniors Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant. Since then, Huggins has had good recruiting classes, but has had trouble keeping players in Morgantown. Dan Jennings, Dalton Pepper, Noah Cotrill, and Dalton Pepper made up two-thirds of Huggins 2nd and 3rd classes and none are currently with the Mountaineers.

If this year's class can buck that trend, the trio of Elijah Macon, Terry Henderson, and Eron Harris could do special things in Morgantown over the next four years, especially if it can mesh well with Huggins's large class from last year. The headliner of the class is undoubtedly forward and Ohio prep Elijah Macon, but one player a recruiting class or a successful basketball team does not make. I'm personally very excited about another member of the class, guard Terry Henderson. Henderson, given a grade of 89 by ESPN, is their 31st rated shooting guard. Henderson stands at an intriguing 6'4 or 6'5 (depending on the source) but is also very skinny, at 170-175 lbs. Back to my excitement, most of it is fueled from the youtube video below and the fact that Huggins excels at player development.

At this point, Henderson - who is in the middle of playing his senior year at Neuse Baptist Christian School in North Carolina - already excels in one aspect of the game of basketball. Shooting. The kid is a sniper with more than enough range and a smooth, consistent shooting stroke. However, there's more to Henderson than that, which is what stands out to me in this movie. At the very beginning of the movie, Henderson shows a nice turn-around spin move which he finishes with a mid-range fade-away jumper. Fast forward to around :38 and Henderson pulls a nice crossover, step-back and hits another mid-range jumper. A second later, Henderson shows some impressive athleticism getting up to get a rebound and put back.

Overall, the stigma often associated with snipers in college basketball is a lack of athleticism. Henderson doesn't fit that mold. He's not an elite athlete, but he's no slouch either, as evidenced in the youtube video. With some hard work, especially in the weight room, and discipline, Huggins specialty, Henderson has the length and enough quickness to develop into a very good defender on the wing or at the two-guard. However, Henderson's bread-and-butter will be his offense, and I think he will be more than just a sniper. Not immediately, mainly because of Henderson's current lack of strength, but my eyes sees a kid who has a rare feel for a mid-range game and the ball-handling ability to take advantage of it. With proper development, Henderson could become something very special and I expect him to be much better than several players ranked ahead of him by experts. A true diamond in the rough.