Henry is new point of U of M focus
NASHVILLE -- Though Xavier Henry's visit to the University of Memphis last October was not completely overlooked, it was understandably overshadowed.
As Xavier Henry, then a high school sophomore, watched Memphis Madness seven months ago with a large group of Tiger recruits, all eyes inside FedExForum were focused on Derrick Rose sitting just a few seats away. Though Rose was the more immediate object of Memphis' efforts on that Friday the 13th, there was an underlying hope that lightning might indeed strike twice.
A few weeks later, Rose's scholarship papers were signed and sealed. Are Xavier Henry's next?
"It was a fun night," Xavier Henry said Saturday after leading his Athletes First AAU team to victory over the Tennessee Travelers in the Nike Memorial Day Classic at Ensworth High School. "It was exciting throughout the whole thing."
Like Rose, whom John Calipari recruited as intensely and personally as any player he's ever tried to sign, Xavier Henry is considered a "program changer." And like Rose, Calipari will have to go up against most of the country's elite programs to get the 6-6 guard from Oklahoma City ranked No. 2 by Rivals.com in the class of 2009.
"I'll take a trip to Memphis again and Texas and definitely Ohio State and Louisville," Xavier Henry said.
And that list doesn't even take into account North Carolina and Kansas, the latter of which has strong connections to Xavier Henry's family. His brother, C.J., committed to play basketball at Kansas before pursuing a professional baseball career instead. His father, Carl Henry, played for the Jayhawks. And his mother, Barbara, played in Lawrence.
But Kansas' advantage is also Memphis' advantage: While at Kansas, Carl Henry played under a young assistant coach named John Calipari.
"I think that's a good thing," Carl Henry said. "He's a good coach. I understand him, and he likes the way my son plays. To me, (Memphis) is just like Kansas. (Calipari) was there, and he would do the same things Bill Self could do for my son."
Which, of course, is to get Xavier Henry to the NBA as quick as possible. Because even though he still has two more years of high school, Xavier Henry already projects as a future pro with a world-class lefty jumper to match size and strength in the mold of current Memphis guard Antonio Anderson.
"He got that from me," Carl Henry said, laughing. "It's kind of scary. He was doing this last year, but it's real scary this year because he's stronger, and he can exploit it."
Saturday, for instance, Xavier Henry immediately dominated on both ends of the court, blocking a layup on the game's first possession and then draining a 3-pointer seconds later. From there, he continued to show his array of skills, slashing for dunks, posting up for easy baskets and drawing fouls off the dribble.
As the summer AAU circuit progresses this summer, Xavier Henry -- who said he uses the Spanish pronunciation ZAV-ee-yay for his first name -- said he is determined to justify the national hype building around him.
"I pay attention to it, I won't lie," Xavier Henry said. "But I like to make sure, when people say I can do something, I want to make sure I can do it. ... I've developed more with my ballhandling skills and knowing what shots to take, and I added a couple shots into my repertoire."
Whether Memphis will be the beneficiary of that repertoire is a decision Henry said he'll make next summer at the earliest. Though he encounters plenty of people who assume he's going to Kansas, Xavier Henry said his decision will come down to relationships.
"My family has been a Kansas-playing family," Xavier Henry said. "Everybody went there, but I'm pretty open about it. I like knowing my teammates and knowing the coaches and having a great relationship with everybody so I know what I'm getting into."
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