The reaction that Ryan Day had when Jeremiah Smith committed to Ohio State is similar to that Jai Lucas had when he knew star forward Shelton Henderson was returning for his sophomore season at Miami.
After finishing his freshman season on the All-ACC Freshman team and finishing top three in the country with one of the best field-goal percentages in D1 basketball, Henderson returns for an ACC Player of the Year and All-American season.
Moreover, his head coach has set clear expectations for him as the new true leader of this budding Miami Hurricanes squad.
“This year for him, and you see it publicly, but also for us there’s a little bit more expectation for him to deliver,” Lucas said. “He’s shown his growth in that and being comfortable with having to deliver and having to be a little bit counted on.
“I won’t say he’s the man because we have a really good team, but he is one of those guys that we are looking for game to game to be able to kind of carry us a little bit.”
Henderson has embraced the role as one of the team’s leaders, starting with his attitude, his actions, and his belief in this team. Moreover, he has taken his game to the next level for himself and his teammates.
“That’s been a huge focus of mine this offseason, this summer,” Henderson said. “I think it’s going to create a lot more for me being able to stretch the floor out a lot more for myself and my teammates. My main thing is getting to the basket, play-making in the paint, and just doing what I do at a high level but definitely shooting is definitely a main goal that will get me to the next level in my game.”
Henderson has focused on fixing his shot so he can be a perimeter threat throughout the season while also increasing his free-throw percentage. Henderson was at the charity stripe game after game but missed more opportunities. Those same ones won’t be wasted this year with the talent around him.
On paper, it is his team, but the players around him can carry the load as well. It helps that everyone believes in him as the go-to guy, and with those expectations, he will continue to grow and live up to them.
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