Dad becomes mentor for Putnam City star
Xavier Henry trots from the elbow of the free throw line to the opposite elbow and back again.
His father, Carl Henry, rebounds and passes the basketball back to his son over and over. Carl watches as the 6-foot-6 junior at Putnam City aims and fires a picture-perfect jump shot. He doesn't have to look up at the rim. Carl's ears tell him the result.
Swish. Trot, trot. Swish. Trot, trot. Swish.
The Henrys have invested a lot of time developing Xavier's basketball skills.
And it is paying off.
Xavier Henry was the Class 6A state tournament MVP as a freshman. He was a member of The Oklahoman's Super Five as a sophomore. He will enter his junior year ranked as the No. 2 player in the nation on Rivals' Top 40 for 2009 and No. 3 by scout.com.
"I've always wanted to be the best,” Xavier said. "When I was 9, there was a kid from Maryland at nationals named Chad Wilson, and you could tell he was above everyone else. And I would go outside and pretend I was playing him.
"I wanted to be like him, ahead of everybody. Everybody knew who he was. I want everyone to know who I am.”
Xavier is well on his way. And Carl Henry, a former basketball player at Kansas and Oklahoma City University, is offering fatherly advice.
"He did everything for me. He taught me everything,” Xavier said. "He made things harder. It was tough. He wanted to make sure I was getting better when I played.”
Said Carl: "I tell him this is the way to do this, this is the way to do that. If you want to be the best, you have to work hard, no matter how you're feeling that day.”
To ensure growth in Xavier's game, Carl would challenge his son to play pickup games without shooting the ball with his strong hand or only drive right or not shoot the ball unless it was a layup.
Those challenges forced Xavier out of his comfort level, putting him in positions where he could learn from failure.
"I've been there,” Carl said of his experience playing college basketball. "I know you can't go into a game with one hand.
"The best players can go both ways. You look at them, and they have no weakness in their game.”
Carl Henry isn't the only family member who had an impact on Xavier's development. His mother, Barbara, was a track and basketball standout. Xavier's brother, C.J., was a standout basketball player at Putnam City who committed to play at Kansas but opted to play pro baseball.
"C.J. was always wanting to play me (in basketball), even if I didn't want to play because I knew I'd lose,” said Xavier, adding that C.J. is the best player he's ever faced. "He made sure I was ready.
"When I played against my brother, that was the toughest thing I had to do, because he was quicker and could jump higher.”
That mindset is, perhaps, why Xavier Henry has developed into the one of the best high school players in the nation.
He grew up going against C.J. Xavier played with and against Obi Muonelo, Keith Clark and Blake Griffin by age 14. Two summers ago, Xavier Henry was the only freshman invited to the NIKE All-American camp.
"When you play better guys, you find yourself getting better,” the 16-year old said.
It's a mindset he clearly inherited from Carl.
"I want him to see the big picture,” said Carl, who is coaching Athletes First, Xavier's AAU team this summer. "You have to venture out and go where there are the best challenges. Be it Norman, Stillwater, OCU, you have to play against college guys.
"You have to get out and go play, you can't sit at home watching TV. You have to play the best people, and that's my job, to take my son to play those people.”
With that commitment, one thing is clear: Xavier Henry will not be happy until he is ranked as the No. 1 player in the nation.
"I really want (that) just so everybody knows I'm the No. 1 player in the nation,” he said. "I promise I'll have it by the end of the summer. I'm about to step it up.”
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