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| http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_98...nclick_check=1 Quote:
Seantrel Henderson doesn't mind the stares. He knows people aren't used to seeing a muscular 16-year-old who stands 6 feet 7 and weighs 303 pounds.
Henderson's frame is solid, which leads to bystanders asking: "Do you play football or basketball?"
Henderson proudly responds: "Right now, I'm playing basketball."
Henderson is known more as Cretin-Derham Hall's eye-catching offensive tackle and defensive end, but basketball is his sanctuary this summer.
The coveted junior is playing for the Minneapolis-based Howard Pulley 17-under traveling team, an activity that keeps his mind off what is expected to be a relentless recruiting campaign by many of the nation's top NCAA Division I football programs.
Henderson, a backup power forward for Pulley, already has football scholarship offers from Minnesota, Notre Dame, Florida, UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Iowa, Boston College and North Carolina. That list likely will expand once schools can submit written offers after Sept. 1.
Henderson is far from making a decision and doesn't even like to talk about his college plans.
"Everywhere I go almost, people ask me where I'm going (to college)," Henderson said. "It gets a little aggravating sometimes."
He keeps himself in shape by competing against some of the nation's best high school basketball players. The Pulley schedule includes tournaments in Houston, Atlanta, Hampton, Va., Milwaukee and Kansas City, Kan.
Two of Henderson's Pulley teammates are considered the top forwards in the state: Hopkins' Royce White, who has committed to Minnesota, and Robbinsdale Armstrong's Rodney Williams. Basketball, however, is not Henderson's primary focus this summer. When he's not playing or practicing with the Pulley team, he's in the Cretin weight room. Henderson said he can bench press 275 pounds.
But playing for Pulley, one of the state's top youth programs, often leads to another question: "Are you thinking more about basketball in college than
Seantrell Henderson takes the ball to the hoop during his team's Howard Pulley Pro City Summer League game at the Salvation Army gymnasium in St. Paul, Minn., on Monday, June 30, 2008. (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
football?"
"I like basketball just as much," he said. "I like going out of town to play against good talent. I haven't come to that point yet where it's either basketball or football for me."
Football is where Henderson's reputation is soaring. Last summer, Rivals.com, a leading scouting service for high school football, listed Henderson among its top 10 prospects to watch in the 2010 class.
Rivals will release its top-100 rankings for 2010 next spring, and Henderson virtually is assured of a spot on the list, perhaps among the top 10.
"He's heavily on our radar," said Mike Farrell, national recruiting coordinator for Rivals. "There's a very good chance he'll be one of the nation's most high-profile recruits."
Colleges can't sign Henderson to a national letter of intent until February 2010. NCAA rules prohibit coaches from talking to him directly until next spring's contact period, April 15-May 31.
Many college coaching staffs have been telling Raiders coach Mike Scanlan for two years that they want Henderson. When Henderson was a freshman, he passed by the Cretin athletic department offices and encountered an assistant from the staff of former Gophers coach Glen Mason.
The assistant was at Cretin to talk to wide receiver Michael Floyd and running back Shady Salamon but couldn't pass up the opportunity to introduce himself to Henderson. What happened next startled Henderson.
"The guy offered me a scholarship," Henderson said. "I hadn't even played with the varsity yet."
Too much hype too soon can derail young athletes. Henderson isn't about to let that happen, and neither is his parents. Henderson's father, Sean, rejected his request to get a tattoo.
"My father said I should wait until I'm 18," Henderson said. "I'm OK with that. I don't want to put out perceptions that people might question."
Any notions that Henderson might be a "me-first" athlete were scrapped in April when the Pulley team played in the Kingwood Classic in Houston. Pulley coach Antoine Harris had sent Henderson to the scorer's table to replace White, the team's starting power forward. As Henderson waited to go in, White hit three consecutive shots.
Henderson looked at Harris and said, "Do you really think I should go in?"
Harris and Henderson smiled at each other. Henderson returned to the bench.
"Seantrel is one of the most humble kids on the team," Harris said. "He understood the situation. I got him in the game a couple of minutes later."
Henderson has attracted interest from Division I basketball programs, too. Henderson said he gets two or three letters a day from Marquette. Other basketball programs expressing interest include Miami (Fla.), Iowa and Iowa State.
His priority, Henderson said, is to keep his name and image in good standing as much as possible. Rumors that he was transferring to Totino-Grace before the fall semester and that he already had given the Gophers an oral commitment upset him.
Henderson denied both claims. The rumors made him more careful about what he says and how he handles himself in public.
"I know people are watching me a lot more," he said. "I have to grow up quicker and be more responsible for the choices I make. I know things might be happening fast for me, but I'm ready to handle it."
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07-08-2008, 03:10 PM
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