The sleeve full of tattoos on the right arm of Miami forward Shelton Henderson offers a distraction, but the black and white bracelet that often rests at the bottom of his arm in all non-game situations is the real attention grabber.
Etched between the black silicone that clings to Henderson’s skin are 19 white letters that indicate why Henderson says he“never” takes the bracelet off unless he has to.
“Be Better,” one side says. The other? “Be Different.”
The Miami freshman says he got the bracelet two years ago from Phil Beckner–who Henderson notes is NBA star Damian Lillard’s trainer–at Beckner’s camp Formula Zero. Henderson says that Beckner has “poured into” him and that they’ve stayed in contact after the camp.
If there’s something that Beckner swears by, it’s the motto on Henderson’s bracelet. A look at Beckner’s Twitter profile shows a header with the phrase sprawled out across a photo of him speaking and is present in a number of the messages he posts. At some point along the line, Beckner’s consistent messaging started to drive Henderson in his daily habits.
“To me that just means being yourself and not allowing other people to dictate what you want,” Henderson told Basket Under Review, “And just every day just trying to be better like be better or something be better at talking to people would be better at basketball be better at doing anything to just make your life better.”
Henderson’s vision for his life hasn’t aligned with what traditional basketball-world thought would push him to do, but here he is averaging 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while shooting 60.8% from the field on a 19-5 Miami team. The Texas native hasn’t been spotlighted as one, but he’s emerged as one of college basketball’s premier freshmen.
The 6-foot-6 freshman has scored in double figures in all but one of Miami’s ACC games, has started all of its games and is a near lock for the All-Freshman team in the ACC. Henderson is No. 34 in the country in effective field goal percentage, which is one of seven efficiency categories he’s nationally ranked in and one of three that he’s top 100 in.
Envisioning Henderson’s swift rise without his physically-imposing frame, versatility on both ends is nearly impossible. The ideas that Henderson’s bracelet promotes–that he’s subsequently embraced–need their rightful credit in this, though.
“Shelton chose what’s hard over what’s convenient. That’s what makes him the right kind of different," Beckner told Basket Under Review. "The sky is the limit for him not because of his size and talent but because of his character and mentality. He’s better. He’s different.”
As Lucas addressed the possibility that Henderson could return to school next season in a meeting with the local media, his hands did more talking than his words did. In that moment, Lucas described Henderson as a player “that you can build around” and put his hands together as he was praying while referring to the idea that he’d be able to start his year-two roster with Henderson at the forefront.
Henderson isn’t present in many NBA mock drafts these days, but his standout production as a freshman paired with his physical tools and standout ranking as a recruit appear to make him an appealing prospect.
“Where the NBA is and how the game is being played now you need a bunch of guys who are versatile, got a bunch of different positions and can do a bunch of different things with the ball and he fits that,” Miami coach Jai Lucas told Basket Under Review. “That’s who he is. He has that size to be able to guard and switch and he has the athleticism, skill to be able to play multiple positions. When you're thinking about a prototypical basketball player it’s Shelton. One thing he needs to continue to develop and just get confidence in–it's not really a development thing as it is a confidence thing–is shooting and once he has that he'll have everything.”
Henderson is shooting 31.6% from 3-point range on 1.6 attempts per game, but has a clean enough stroke to lend credence to the idea that he could take a step forward as a shooter moving forward. That will be the biggest offseason emphasis for the Miami forward, but he’s accelerated Lucas’ build significantly in his current form.
Lucas says he wanted to be intentional about giving this group a baseline level of physicality in year one of his Miami tenure, which appears to be embodied by Henderson’s football-like build. Even with development left to go on the perimeter, Henderson has scored in double figures in every ACC game except for Miami’s win over Wake Forest. He’s scored over 15 points in seven of Miami’s 11 league games.
“Shelton Henderson is having a sensational freshman year,” former Miami head coach Jim Larrañaga told Basket Under Review after being honored at Miami’s game against Florida State. “He defends, rebounds, can handle the ball and play multiple positions. His greatest asset is his toughness and his ability to finish at the rim on an assortment of driving layups.”
Henderson has started all 24 games for Miami already and lends credence to Larrañaga’s claims with his 92-for-128 shooting mark on what Bart Torvik considers to be “close” shots from 2-point range, his 28-for-30 mark on dunks and overall 65.7% efficiency from two-point range.
Perhaps the numbers are jarring to those who have overlooked Henderson because of college basketball’s loaded freshman crop or his lack of NBA Draft buzz, but Lucas said he always expected Henderson to impact the game right away. The Miami head coach says he always knew the physicality would translate, but that he was curious to see the skillset. Henderson’s skillset has translated more quickly than Lucas thought, though. Perhaps he’s got his dad to thank for that.
“Phase one was completed at the end of high school,” John Lucas II–who has trained Henderson since Henderson was in third grade–told Basket Under Review, “We’re in the middle of phase two right now. Phase three is to put on an NBA jersey and have a 10-year career.”
Lucas II says he’s proud of the “student athlete” that Henderson has become while playing for his son’s team, but in an on-brand statement he says that the Miami freshman “has to continue working on the free throws.”
These days, Henderson would likely admit that Lucas II–who is the dad of Lucas, the Miami head coach–is right.
The Miami freshman is No. 98 in the country in free throw rate with 5.2 attempts per game, but he’s shooting just 58.5% from the line these days. Lucas II says that professional basketball is all about shooting, driving and making free throws these days and that Henderson is doing the other two things “very well,” though. For that, Henderson largely has Lucas II–who he calls “Big Lucas”--to thank.
Henderson has been going to Lucas II’s 6:00 A.M. workouts since he was a third grader and has been a player within Lucas II’s AAU program for as long as he can remember. Lucas II says that Henderson, Auburn forward Sebastian Williams Adams and SMU big man Nigel Walls–all of which came through the program together–understood spacing, playing off of two feet and making 3s since they were in elementary school as a result of his coaching. Lucas II was still an NBA coach when Henderson, Williams Adams and Walls entered his program. He says they “trained like NBA players” from a young age as a result.
The workouts were “always intense,” Henderson says. Lucas II admits that he does his best to “fluster” Henderson in each workout–including forcing him to make 9-of-10 shots from each designated shooting spot. The process has been grueling at times, but there’s always been intent in everything Lucas II has pushed on Henderson.
“I think he saw potential in me,” Henderson said. “He built a mindset to know that I had to go out there every day thinking I'm the best player on the court. I think what he instilled in me still shows up to this day on the court. I can't thank him enough for that.”
Lucas II is a living legend of sorts to those deeply entrenched in the basketball community. While working for as the Philadelphia 76ers’ head coach in 1994-to-1996, Lucas II consistently brought in Kobe Bryant to work out alongside NBA players and worked to aid his development. Henderson’s mentor is also famous for pushing LeBron James to be less passive while playing alongside NBA players in a workout–which ultimately led to Lucas II being suspended for two games because of the illegal nature of James working out with an NBA team and a media member publishing an article about the pickup game–while James was in high school and Lucas II was the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach.
The rolodex of NBA connections that Lucas II possesses netted Henderson the opportunity to work out with James Harden and a number of other pros.
Henderson’s appearance in the same gym as players like Harden provided a measuring stick as to what he needed to improve on to get to the level that the pros he faced were at. Lucas II says that conditioning has always been an emphasis for Henderson because of his size, that part of his routine is to make 500 shots a day and that a number of their workouts emphasize Henderson’s “God-given” abilities to get downhill and use his physicality around the rim. The pair is seeing the progress that they’ve made together manifest itself in results.
“He’s gone from a grizzly bear,” Lucas II said, “To a real bear.”
Lucas II says he was initially drawn to help Henderson while the now-Miami swingman was an elementary schooler because of his parents and “his commitment to be good.” The former NBA head coach and No. 1 overall pick–who now makes a “family business” of basketball through his AAU program and player development–could tell that the family trusted him. As a result, he wanted to help Henderson by giving him profound advice and helping him navigate the pitfalls of a changing basketball landscape.
Henderson says he initially met Lucas II while playing in one of the tournaments he organized and that Lucas II initially got in touch with his mom. 10 years later, Henderson talks to Lucas II before every game, Lucas II works out Henderson anytime he’s in Miami and they check in after each game. Lucas II says he wouldn’t have guessed that Henderson would be playing for his son as a college freshman, but here he is in a situation that will forever tie the Lucases and Hendersons together.
“We’re basically family now,” Henderson said in regard to his relationship with Lucas II. “What he’s done for me and my family is a huge thing and I couldn’t appreciate him more. Him just allowing me to grow with him has been something I’m thankful for.”
Henderson admits that Duke was his “dream school” growing up and that his younger self wouldn’t believe that he turned down Duke. A number of those around Henderson’s hometown likely couldn’t believe it, either. Dreams don’t often make the best realities, though.
The Miami wing committed to Duke on Nov. 2, signed with the Blue Devils on Nov. 13 and appeared to be on track to fulfill his lifelong dream. Then, Lucas left to become Miami’s head coach in the midst of Duke’s Final Four run.
Lucas says he wasn’t thinking about the possibility that Henderson would leave Duke for Miami when he first made the move–the Miami coach says he was initially thinking more about pushing for now-Miami freshman Dante Allen, who was affected by Villanova’s coaching change–but things change quickly. The now-Miami coach was Henderson’s main contact point while on staff at Duke and was the one who often told him how he would fit as a Blue Devil and where he would be. He was a difficult fixture in Henderson’s recruitment to replace, it turns out.
“Once he left, things got shaky and then it was uncomfortable,” Henderson said. “Once I found out he had the job I was still committed for a good month, but then I wasn’t really talking to anyone at Duke for a while. They will hit me up here and there, but I wasn't really talking to them as much as I wanted to but then Big Lucas had the idea [to look at Miami] and just kind of laid it out.”
Big Lucas says he hadn’t always envisioned that Henderson would play for his son, but he says that his son had to do most of the work in the recruitment–including “convincing his daddy.” “No daddy discount,” Lucas II says with a laugh.
Lucas ultimately landed a commitment from Henderson on April 21, four days after Henderson’s Duke de-commitment. With the commitment, he landed a program cornerstone that he felt could accelerate his build significantly.
Henderson says the decision was difficult at first considering his admiration for Duke, but he says it was comfortable for him and his family because of the connections they had to the program and the blueprint Lucas laid out for him.
“Being multidimensional was what he saw in and he could help me build me into a pro,” Henderson said. “That's my dream so when he brought that blueprint out, I couldn't say no. It was an easy decision.”
With the commitment, Henderson became the fourth-highest rated Miami commit in the program’s history–per 247 Sports–and became an example of Lucas’ ability on the recruiting trail.
The decision appears to embody the ideals set by the bracelet Henderson received from Beckner a number of years ago, although it wasn’t necessarily made with the intention to be different. Henderson not following through on his initial Duke commitment may have been puzzling to some, but it’s an indicator in regard to how he got here.
“It speaks to his maturity to kind of think through things and think through the process and figure out what is really best for him, his development,” Lucas said. “Some people can view it as ‘I wanna go somewhere to play on TV, I wanna go somewhere with all this tradition and everything.’ But having the confidence in himself to be able to come out and do it is as big as it gets.”
Lucas says that Bellaire High School didn’t have much basketball talent come through it prior to the last 20 years, but these days he can joke with Henderson that the Miami forward is the fifth-best player to ever play there. Lucas–who was a McDonald’s All-American out of Bellaire–his brother John Lucas III–who went on to play in the NBA–former NBA center Emeka Okafor and former Memphis Grizzlies forward Lawrence Roberts put the program on the map prior to Henderson’s arrival.
Even Lucas can admit that Henderson has done something that none of those other players have, though. Henderson took the program to the state championship game. Lucas says that what Henderson did there is “as big as it gets.”
Perhaps Henderson acting on his convictions in his college decision should’ve been predictable because of the precursor that was his high school senior season. Henderson says that after his junior season, he was “hearing from every prep school” and was forced to make a decision in regard to his future. The conventional thinking for a five-star recruit like Henderson would be to head to prep school. Henderson–and Big Lucas–had other plans, though.
“You go to prep school to go get better,” Lucas II said. “We can create that here and you can grow up with your family and do that. I'm not opposed to prep school and it is getting to be more and more [beneficial], but if you can set up that and stay and spend the time with your family without having to uplift and move everybody to your prep school then what's the difference?”
Henderson says that he looked into the prep school route and the player development that many of them have prided themselves on “a little bit,” but agreed with Lucas II that he should take one more year at home with his family and teammates before heading off to college.
As the Miami forward looks back, he says he has no regrets in regard to the unconventional decision. After all, he’s got a Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston Player of the Year award and the memories of a run to remember forever as a result. And he did it while embracing everyone that had assisted in his journey.
“I think it was the best decision for me,” Henderson said. “I still got the looks that I wanted to and I just had a lot of fun just playing, putting on for my city and having the city behind my back was a huge blessing.”
Lucas II wouldn’t feel as if he was adequately doing his job if he let Henderson get off easy in any individual workout, and for good reason. Comfortability has never been the piece of this rise for Henderson. He’s always played with older players. He’s always been pushed to his limits by Lucas II.
Those situations are the ones that allowed “Big Lucas” to believe he had something on his hands here.
“He rarely gets rattled,” Lucas II told Basket Under Review. “Our workouts are at 6:00 A.M. in the morning. Shelton and those guys never miss. If it's important to you, I'll make it the most important thing to start your day. If you go to work out at six and go to school and then come back at six. That's commitment.”
If there was any fear left in Henderson, Lucas II has trained it out of him. There’s areas of Henderson’s game to nitpick, but a general sense of timidity isn’t an area that is up for interpretation.
Henderson said prior to the season that his goal was to win the ACC Freshman of The Year award and that he wanted to change the culture around the university like Miami’s football program did as it reached the National Championship game. The goals were bold–and will be difficult to live up to–but Henderson has demonstrated that his skillset is noteworthy enough to allow him to aim high.
The thing about Henderson, though, is that he would’ve done that anyway. That’s why his numbers are good enough to warrant him taking a place as one of the ACC’s best freshmen despite his loaded class. That’s why nobody around him is willing to put a cap on what his future can hold.
“You have to have some belief, you have to be somewhat delusional playing this game,” Henderson said. “Having something to reach for, strive for, having something to look forward to, it’s why I just put those goals out there for myself.”
