NIC’s Henderson has sights set on NBA

Like most of his peers, North Idaho College basketball standout Shawn Henderson has some important numbers saved in his cell phone.

There’s his parents and close friends. And, of course, his coach.

Included among those numbers are those for NBA players Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford and Brandon Roy – guys he’s played against in pickup games at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle the past two summers.

“I talk to them all the time,” Henderson said. “Mostly during the season, though, we exchange text messages. They’re playing in different cities each night and there’s the time difference.”

They’ve been following how Henderson’s sophomore season has been going. A quick glance at the Scenic West Athletic Conference Web site shows Henderson, a 6-foot-3 guard, is averaging a conference-leading 20.4 points per game.

Henderson, who signed a letter of intent in November to continue his career at the University of Idaho, is more than making the most of a second chance at NIC.

Two years ago, Henderson averaged 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He was a second-team all-SWAC selection.

But with a week to go before spring semester concluded, Henderson left school and returned home. The Renton High product was passing all of his classes and anticipated doing fine on his finals.

“I was just homesick,” Henderson said.

It’s a decision he regrets.

“I think it was immaturity,” he explained, “I wasn’t used to being away from home. I wasn’t mobile (didn’t have a car) and I was bored. When all you do is sit around and think and you’re bored …”

Then it’s easy for homesickness to sit in.

“He was just really immature,” NIC coach Jared Phay said. “He just didn’t have the big picture in mind.”

It wasn’t long after Henderson returned to Seattle that he realized he had made a poor decision. He called Phay.

“We stayed in regular contact,” Phay said.

Henderson asked if he could return. Phay suggested that he enroll at a local community college and prove that he wanted to go to school.

So Henderson attended Green River Community College in Auburn for a semester. He got a 3.6 grade-point average. He returned to NIC in January 2008.

“He realized this (NIC) could be a road somewhere,” Phay said.

Colleges lost track of Henderson last year because he redshirted. So Phay called some schools. Idaho, Portland State and Eastern Washington sent coaches to take a look. All three liked what they saw and offered scholarships.

Henderson was most impressed with Idaho. Not only did it recruit him, Idaho recruited his parents, twice sending coaches to Seattle to visit them.

That’s why Henderson is appreciative that Phay gave him another chance.

“I’m very thankful, because without NIC I probably wouldn’t have had a chance to play (NCAA) Division I,” Henderson said.

Phay has been impressed with Henderson’s second go around at NIC.

“I’ve never seen a kid grow up more than him in my five years here,” Phay said. “He was a good kid as a freshman, he was just really immature. This year he has stepped up and became a leader for us. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what to expect coming into the season. But he’s really grown into being a leader.”

Phay expects Henderson to fare well at Idaho.

So does Idaho coach Don Verlin.

“He will be a guy who can help us immediately,” Verlin said. “He can play the 2 (shooting guard) or 3 (small forward/wing). He’s what I’d call an old-fashioned guard. He can handle it, pass it and shoot it pretty good. And he’s long and athletic. He was a great sign for us in the fall.”

Verlin, in fact, believes that the Vandals may have gotten a steal by signing Henderson early.

“A lot of people may have thought we got a better player than we’re supposed to (at Idaho),” Verlin said.

Henderson thought about holding off and not signing early.

“I could have waited for other offers, but I didn’t want the pressure of having to perform night in and night out this season,” Henderson said. “Idaho is a good fit for me. I’m looking forward to playing in the (Western Athletic Conference).”

The WAC is known for producing NBA players. And Henderson would like to play in the NBA someday.

He credits his improvement this year to playing against NBA players the past two summers.

He will leave NIC in the spring and head directly to Moscow. He will spend the summer lifting weights.

“A lot of people think I’m skinny, but I’m stronger than I look,” Henderson said. “I know I need to get stronger to be able to play at the next level (Division I) and if I want to play in the NBA.”

At the moment, though, he’s pleased to be back at NIC where the Cardinals are in the hunt for a conference title. They won their first 17 games before suffering their first loss Saturday, a 73-70 overtime setback at College of Southern Idaho.

NIC (17-1, 2-1) will make play its first home conference game Thursday against Salt Lake Community College (16-1, 3-0), which was the preseason favorite.

“I think the loss (at CSI) will wake us up and make us better,” Henderson said.

Spoken like the words of a seasoned sophomore – not the puerile freshman who succumbed to homesickness.