Time To Look Back Admirers Reflect On Hendrickson As WSU Basketball Career Winds Down

Breaking up is never easy.

But when the four-year love affair between Mark Hendrickson and Washington State basketball fans ends this weekend, it will probably bring about one of the most emotional farewells witnessed at Friel Court.

Hendrickson, a 6-foot-9 forward and four-year starter, will, in all likelihood, play his final two home games tonight and Saturday afternoon when WSU entertains Arizona and Arizona State in a pair of Pacific-10 Conference games that could go a long way in determining the Cougars’ postseason future.

Sure, there will be denial on the part of some who will insist that the affair is not really over, that Hendrickson will continue to represent WSU along whatever career path he selects, return to campus on occasion and remain a part of Cougars basketball lore forever. And he undoubtedly will.

But unless the Cougars land an National Invitation Tournament berth and a home game, this will be the last time Hendrickson’s special basketball talents will be on display in front of the home crowd.

Arizona coach Lute Olson brings his 11th-ranked Wildcats in for tonight’s 7:30 showdown, and he is convinced WSU fans are about to witness the end of an era.

“I told people going into the year that I thought Mark was the best all-around player in the conference, in terms of creating difficulty for anyone who plays against him,” Olson said. “He’s able to put the ball on the floor, he can shoot the face-up jumper and there’s no one better around the basket area than he is.

“I don’t think Mark is the kind of guy who comes around very often. There are certain players who are just special in terms of what they accomplish - not only individually, but for the team. When I look around through the years, I see guys like (Stanford’s) Todd Lichti and (Arizona’s) Sean Elliiot, who were special. I’ve been here 13 years and I wouldn’t put a lot of people in that category, but I would put Mark in there.”

So would WSU coach Kevin Eastman, who took over the program two years ago when Hendrickson was a junior on his way to becoming an all-Pac-10 selection and the league’s most accurate shooter.

Eastman hopes, however, that Olson is wrong about the timing of the arrival of the next Hendrickson.

“I hope another one comes along in the very near future,” he said.

That’s not likely, considering that in 94 years of Cougars basketball, only one WSU player has more rebounds than Hendrickson and only five have more points.

Hendrickson, with 872 career rebounds and 1,390 points, will not catch Steve Puidokas, the career leader with 992 and 1,894, in either category. But if he maintains his current season’s average of just more than 16 points per game, he will move past Brian Quinnett, Jim McKean and Bennie Seltzer into third place behind Puidokas and Don Collins (1,563) on WSU’s all-time scoring list.

In the past four seasons, Hendrickson as started all 102 games in which he has played. He missed three games his sophomore season with a stress fracture in his foot and six this year because of a broken bone in his shooting hand.

In every other instance, he has answered the bell with class and character that extends far beyond the basketball court.

“Mark is a very special guy and it’s not all about athletics,” Eastman said. “He has a unique gift in that he can relate to all ages. He can make the 7-year-old boy or girl comfortable in any situation and he can also deal with the 67-year businessman or businesswoman and make them feel comfortable.

“Not a lot of people have that skill.”

Hendrickson even seems to get along with Pac-10 officials.

“In every game we had while he was sitting out (with the broken hand), all three officials always came over and said something to him,” Eastman said. “That, in itself, makes a strong statement about the feelings they have for him as a person and a competitor.”

Hendrickson credits his mother, Barb, with providing a stable family environment while he was growing up in Mount Vernon. His father, a Washington State patrolman, was killed when Mark was only five months old, having been struck by a passing car while conducting a routine traffic stop.

Mark’s older brother, Steve, was only 2 at the time and barely remembers his dad.

“Looking back, that might have helped me mature quicker,” Hendrickson said of growing up in a single-parent household. “You learn to do certain things on your own when you don’t have a dad around.”

Barb Hendrickson is clearly proud of both of her sons and elated that she has had a chance to see all but a handful of Mark’s college games.

But she admitted she isn’t sure what kind emotion she will feel when her youngest son is introduced at Friel Court for the last time prior to Saturday’s 3 p.m. tipoff against Arizona State.

“Probably relief,” she laughed. “Actually, I’m more worried about how Mark will feel. He’s already started talking about it and I’m like, ‘Hey, wait a minute, fella! You’ve got a couple of games to play this weekend and they’re big games. Don’t lose focus on that.”’

Hendrickson’s teammate, Carlos Daniel, expects Saturday’s farewell to be highly emotional.

“Senior Day always is,” the sophomore forward said. “And in my case, Mark was one of the big reasons I came here. He was one of the top young players in the conference when I came in and he has done a lot for me as a player and a person.

“As a young player, you need somebody like that. He’s a level-headed leader and he’s got a lot of good qualities about him. He doesn’t do the things that might get him looked at negatively and everybody can learn from that.”

Hendrickson, who also pitched for WSU’s baseball team last season, says he doesn’t know what to expect either tonight or Saturday.

“It’s hard to say how you’re going to react,” he admitted. “But the fact that these games mean so much to us will make it a little easier to not get too wrapped up in the moment.

“I’m going to treat it just like it’s any other homestand. But Saturday will be a special day.”

For Olson, that special day is today.

“I’m thrilled that he’s finally a senior,” Olson said. “He’s been a starter for four years, so we’ve had to deal with getting ready for him all that time. I’ve always enjoyed watching the way he conducts himself and the rest of it, but I can still enjoy watching him when he’s playing pro basketball or pro baseball.

“In fact, I’ll enjoy watching him a lot more than I have up to this point.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo