The Curious Case of Andre Henley

To be called the best basketball player in the state of Illinois, let alone the city of Chicago, is one of the most prestigious honors a high school basketball player could get. Out of any one concentrated area in the whole United States, Chicago produces the most Division 1 basketball players. Even though Indiana, California, or Texas may have more players per year come out, no city in the world has more come out than Chicago. Such is the case this upcoming year with around 30 high school seniors that will receive a scholarship from a Division 1 school to play basketball. So to be called the best or one of the best in the city typically means that you are the best in the state as well.  Schools from all around the country come to Chicago for the chance to get one of these players. The best ones will end up at blue blood schools like Duke, North Carolina, or Kentucky to name a few. So why would a self proclaimed "best player in Illinois" be unsigned at this point? Why is his name unknown and why his recruitment as tantalizing as Kristy Alley in a bikini?

His name is Andre Henley, or Dre Henley. A couple years ago, his name was near the top of the list of best sophomores in the state of Illinois. At De La Salle Institute, Henley was a budding star with the likes of PF Mike Shaw (6-8, 220, signed with Illinois, class of 2011) and PG Derek Needham (5-11, 165 lbs, signed with Fairfield, class of 2009). Henley played for the best AAU team in the state of Illinois, Mac Irvin Fire, which seems to be a revolving door for high school athletes into college. At this point, former Kentucky head coach, Billy Gillispie, had offered Henley a scholarship. As a sophomore, the future looked brighter than ever. From De La Salle, Henley took his talents to Carbondale at Brehm Prep, a powerhouse high school in southern Illinois. Each year, this high school pumps out at least two D-I basketball players. The allure of this prep school would seem to catapult his basketball career higher than he could imagine. When he set foot on campus, the big fish in a small pond all of a sudden was fighting for a starting spot on the team. Despite his talent and skill at his position, Henley did not make the transition he had hoped. Becoming the first or second man off the bench was not what he and other colleges had in mind. Some offers continued to roll in from schools like Marquette, Iowa State, and Illinois. Once Gillispie was let go as head coach and Callipari was hired, that scholarship was no longer on the table and this once promising player was falling out of the limelight and soon to be forgotten.

"Other than you, who do you think is the best player in Illinois right now?", "Other than me, I mean, I know I'm the best, that's the truth, that's just me bein' real, but if I had to say..." was the response by Henley when asked in an interview about his status atop Illinois' best basketball players.The players he listed, other than himself, was fellow AAU teammates, Wayne Blackshear (signed with Louisville, class of 2011) and Mike Shaw. Blackshear, as talk about in previous blog posts, is arguably Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois and Shaw is one of the marquee recruits the University of Illinois is pulling in for next year. Henley's claim was not completely out of the realm, SLAM Magazine had a feature article in 2009 about the rising stardom that was Dre Henley.  Now, being self confident is one thing, I could say I'm the Lee Tolstoy of blogging, but we all know that is not the case. So is this Henley tooting his own horn parading his case as the best like Carol Moseley Braun thinking that she is the best mayoral candidate? Or, could this be one of the best players in Illinois that no one is talking about?

Henley transferred back to De La Salle this year to be apart of what currently ranks as the #4 team in the state of Illinois. This time, he is overshadowed by the play of Mike Shaw and up and coming stars such as So PF Alex Foster (6-8, 210 lbs, considering Purdue, DePaul, and Illinois) and So PG Jaylon Tate (6-1, 170 lbs, offered from Illinois, Purdue and DePaul looking). In a game earlier this year at Hales Franciscan High School, one of the commentators said that despite the accolades of Foster and Shaw, both of whom will be attending major D-1 programs as immediate contributors, Henley was the best player for De La Salle. The reasoning behind this was the consistent play of Henley, rather than the erratic play of Shaw of one moment treating opponents as puppets on a string having his way with him, and then the next moment pulling a Houdini act and disappearing on the court. Watching Henley, he seemed effortless going up and down the court making great passes, breaking up passing lanes, and finishing at the rim. Although he is not blessed with explosiveness, his game could lull you to sleep how swiftly he plays the game.

At 6-6, 225 lbs, Henley has the perfect game for a small forward. He's quick on his feet, he can hit the mid-range shot with consistency, he can drive to the basket, and he has long arms the makes him a very good defender. He is not the best ball handler, but for his size, can dribble as good as anyone at that height. Several times during games this year for De La Salle and last year for Brehm Prep, Henley would take the ball up the court like a point guard typically would. He won't jump out of the gym but can finish at the rim with ease. Although he can hit the mid-range shot, at times, the shot could look flat, which may have to do more with poor conditioning rather than bad mechanics. The problem with Henley is that he is good at everything, but not great at them. He needs work at all aspects of his game, but the skills that he does possess right now are good enough to get him a scholarship. The potential is there for Henley, but the problem is the potential often leads to 'did not live up to what he should have been'. Mark Prior had potential to be great, but never was. The Miami Heat had the potential this year to break the Chicago Bulls regular season record from 1996 for most wins, but never did. Could potential be the word that describes the rest of Henley's career, or will we find this young small forward on NBA draft boards in years to come?

From the top, to irrelevant, Henley's future has not yet been decided. Andre Henley could turn out to be an impact freshman next year at some college basketball program, or he could get less playing time in his collegiate career than the water boy. It is not typical for a player to be on the rise like Henley was only to fall down the recruiting charts to unknown. This is an obvious red flag for colleges and most likely the reason for Iowa State and Marquette to not aggressively go after Henley like they once did. Is there a happy ending to this story? Henley's senior campaign at De La Salle is much improved from his play last year at Brehm Prep. He is one of the leading scorers on the team, but continues to fly under the radar as the regular season comes to a close. As rare as it was for Anthony Davis (Sr. PF 6-10, 220, signed with Kentucky) to come from complete unknown last April to one of the best high school basketball players in the country this last August, Henley's fall from grace has been just as remarkable, but unnoticed. Can he turn it around and make a difference for a major program next year, or will Henley's story end with a disappointing splat of mediocrity and irrelevancy. Only Andre Henley will decide if he is the best prospect from Illinois like he thinks he once was.

Recap of the City-Suburban Showdown

Too sum up the two marquee match-ups from Saturday night's City-Suburban Showdown featuring Rock Island High School vs. Morgan Park and Simeon Career Academy vs. Benet Academy: ridiculous. Some of the play from a couple players left fans talking about their performance well after the final buzzer. The electricity in the stadium was that of an NCAA tournament game. Fans were jumping out of there seats at every dunk, flashy pass, and blocked shot. As highlighted in the last post, there were some players worth watching, and all of them came to play. The four players highlighted in the game previews were Sr. combo guard Chasson Randle (6-2, 170 lbs, committed to Stanford) of Rock Island, Sr. SG Wayne Blackshear (6-5, 215 lbs, committed to Louisville) of Morgan Park, So. SF Jabari Parker (6-7, 225 lbs, considering Duke, Illinois, Michigan State, Georgetown, Washington, and Marquette amongst other many, many others) of Simeon, and Sr. C Frank Kaminsky (7-0, 230 lbs, committed to Wisconsin). Let's get started...


Game 1- Rock Island Rocks vs Morgan Park Mustangs.

Player I watched- Wayne Blackshear (Morgan Park)- His performance was nothing that jumped out like I thought it would. When the final stats were released, I was like, wow, that was a good game. Aside from scoring 18 points, Blackshear added 13 rebounds and 5 blocks. If you read my last post, you'll see my prediction was not far off (19 pts, 11 rbs, 4 blocks). It's almost as if I semi-know what I am talking about. I can pat my back on this one because I'll be eating crow for a prediction I had in the next game. Anyways, despite very good numbers, Blackshear did not stand out as an elite performer in this contest. He had several possession where the ball was not even thrown his way and on some possessions, had trouble getting through double teams. Though thicker than the other players on the court, Blackshear did not stand out, so much so, I had to go back to the media guide to check what jersey number he was wearing. At the end of the day, though, the numbers he put against the competition Morgan Park faced is very impressive. I can definitely see why Rick Pitino coveted this shooting guard and made Blackshear one of his top priorities of Louisville's 2011 recruiting class. Look for Blackshear to showcase his tallent in the United Center this March at the McDonald's All-American Game along with fellow Chicago Star from Chicago Prospectous School, Sr. PF Anthony Davis (6-9, 210 lbs, committed to Kentucky).
Player I should have been watching- So. PG Billy Garrett, Jr. (6-3, 165 lbs, offers from UNLV, DePaul, Bradley). For any DePaul basketball fan out there (yea, there are still some out there), this name sounds familiar because his dad, Billy Garrett, Sr. is one of the assistant coaches on Oliver Purnell's coaching staff. For a point guard, Garrett, Jr. has very good size. What stood out from his play was his overall ball handling skills. He was a very good floor general and ran the plays very efficiently. He guarded Rock Island's best player and the favor was returned on him by Chasson Randle. This is usually a good sign. The future looks awfully bright for this point guard and expect to see many more offers to roll in. It should not matter, DePaul seems to be the most likely destination due to his father's current occupation.

Player I watched- Chasson Randle (Rock Island)- He is referred to as a combo guard and at Stanford will most likely play the point guard postition, but last night, Randle was the shooting guard. Randle finished with 13 points and 4 assists. Like Blackshear, Randle did not stick out as much as I anticipated. I expected to see more of a passing display but was immensely disappointed to see him more as a shooter. I did like his acceleration to the hoop and his quickness in and out of the lane. His speed will be an asset for Stanford and definitely fits the mold of these new big, fast, and strong point guards we see in the NBA today. Not being the primary ball handler shows that his point guard IQ is not as high as it should for someone that will have the ball most of the game. It was obvious that Morgan Park focused on Randle as the key to shutting down Rock Island and that played a big part of the lack of gaudy offensive stats.
Player I should have watched- Sr. G Romal Davis (6-3, 180, no major offers)- There was several points in the game where I thought to myself, 'man, that Chasson Randle is going to be sick'. Then I looked in my program and saw the player I was gawking at was #4 on Rock Island. The problem is Chasson Randle wears #5 for Rock Island. Some high school basketball blogger I am. At least I was able to tell the two teams apart from each other. Anyways, Davis had Randle-like explosion to the hoop and a decent shot. Trying to find information on this guy on the internet is harder to find than  Mel Gibson at a synagogue. Don't expect his name to pop up on any college rosters any time soon, but maybe a year or two at Junior College might get him a couple season on a Division 1 team down the road. His game was not too far off from Randle's, the main difference separating the two was the consistent jump shot and scoring ability, though he was a better passer than Randle on this night. I am going to Google this name a couple years from now expecting to see some college info about him.

Final Ponderings: As expected, Morgan Park walked away as the victor but not without a challenge from the Rocks. For a good portion of the second half, Rock Island was actually leading, but the great play from Blackshear and Garrett, Jr was too much at the end for Rock Island. A last second half court heave from Randle was the final hope of Rock Island stealing this game from Morgan Park. The MVP of this game was Blackshear despite a pedestrian night for his standards. It makes me think how good can he will look against any competition when his shot is going in more often. Don't be surprised to see Blackshear in the NBA in 2013.

Game 2- Simeon Wolverines vs. Benet Red Wings

Player I watched- Jabari Parker (Simeon) WOW, I mean WOW! Is he really a sophomore? Is he really this good now? David Stern better start practicing how to say his name because he will be coming to an NBA stadium near you in about 4 years from now. WOW! This was the most dominating performance of the night out of any game and out of any team. He got to the basket with ease and his jump shot was automatic. His play had the crowd oooooing and awwwwing all night. As fans left the UIC Pavilion, I heard several times, "Who was #11 for Simeon?". His name is Jabari Parker and he's the next big basketball star to come from the streets of Chicago. Parker had a game high 21 points in the Simeon loss, but his play was electric. Unfortunately for Simeon, his effort was not enough to pull out the game for a victory. The highlight of the night was when Parker went baseline and two-hand dunked over two Benet Players. Even the Benet fan-base filled stadium stood up after the dunk. For Simeon fans, and there were a couple in the stadium last night, this is nothing new. Watching his performance in person made it very clear why he is one of the top recruits in the whole nation not only for the class of 2013 but in high school right now. His game and basketball IQ are well beyond his years. What impressed me most was ability to consistently hit his jump shot. He took what the defense gave him and did not force much during the game. Sr. F Pat Boyle of Benet had the dubious honor of guarding Parker for most of the game. At least he can say Parker didn't score 22 points on him. I predicted a dominating performance from Parker before, but even that prediction was way off. I can't think of a superlative good enough for his performance, so I will just end by saying, if you get the chance, go see this kid play before the NCAA and NBA charge you an arm and leg to go see him live.
Player I should have watched- I should have just had my eyes glued on Parker the whole night and not wasted my time looking at anybody else. Despite the loss, Parker was my MVP of the game because without him, Benet could have won the game by the end of the 3rd quarter. I was disappointed in So G Kendrick Nunn as I predicted a good performance following a lackluster performance the game before in the loss to Whitney Young. I doubt DePaul, Memphis, and Xavier are going to pull their scholorship offer from him, but two sub-par games in a row shows that Nunn still has a long way to go in order to be a productive college player in the future.

Player I watched- Frank Kaminsky (Benet)- After a slow 1st quarter, I thought, 'isn't this guy suppose to be good?' Just because he's 7 ft doesn't make him good. Kaminsky had 4 rebounds an a couple blocks in the first quarter and had a tough time finishing around the basket. He had a couple offensive rebounds but could not figure out how to get the ball into the basket. The ball was jumping on and off the rim like a fish out of water. But as the game wore on, Kaminsky started to dominate and at the end of the night, finished with a team high 19 points, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 assists. If not for Parker, Kaminsky would have stole the show. His game is not flashy but he is a terrific all-around front court player. The future Badger was a bigger force on the defensive end than the offensive end. Kaminsky is the ideal Bo Ryan player: great low post moves, good rebounder, good size, and a good midrange game. He hit two 3 pointers and a couple other jump shots throughout the game. He reminds me of Mike Tisdale of the Illinois Fight Illini just without the gross facial hair. I can easily see him putting on about 15-20 lbs over the next 4 years to become a major part of the Badger's future success. He is extremely lanky and has a wingspan like a pterodactyl. His deceptive athleticism was a burden for Simeon on the low block and was a major reason why Simeon became a jump shooting team rather than a team that consistently attacked the rim.
Player I should have watched- Sr. PG David Sobolewski (6-0, 180 lbs, committed to Northwestern)- With all due respect to Frank Kaminsky, Sobolewski was the most electric player for Benet last night. The future Wildcat finished with 15 points and 5 assists and was even more effective on the defensive end. Watching him coming onto the court during warm-ups, it was tough to tell Sobolewski from a young bench player. But once he started shooting, you could tell why he is a Division 1 player: he can hit the long rang and mid range shot consistently. What jumped out even more was his quickness to the rim and his agility around defenders to get to the hoop for a layup or a kick-out pass. He was one of the more athletic players on the court. He is the anchor of what now will be the #1 team in Illinois and will be a great fit for Northwestern's Princeton-style offense.

Final Ponderings: This essentially was a home game for Benet as about 75% of the crowd that was rooting for a team were Benet fans. They brought about 1000 students to cheer on their team and had many more followers carrying the team throughout the game. I completely underestimated how good Benet was. As a possession team that focuses more on creating the best shot available and not making poor decisions, Benet showed an ability to run with Simeon as well. Simeon might have the best player but the better all around team was Benet. Their ability to hit free throws down the stretch was the difference in the game as Benet prevailed by 4. Benet may have caught Simeon in a funk after a tough loss from Whitney Young, but they deserved to be called the winner last night. Parker was unbelievable and almost singlehandedly won the game for Simeon, but the all-around team play and efficiency (how many times has this word been used, but this word describes them perfectly) was too much as Benet continued their undefeated season.

Next Post- TBA- next sunday-ish.

Preview of Two Marquee Games

What a way to start off this blog with arguably Chicago's best back to back high school basketball match-ups this season with the Morgan Park Mustangs vs. Rock Island Rocks and the nightcap with the #1 team in the state in the Simeon Wolverines vs the #2 team in the state in the Benet Red Wings Saturday night (2/19/11) @ the UIC Pavilion. The nightcap doesn't need an explanation on why this game is so important, but the first of these two games features two future college stars worth mentioning. And let the preview begin.....

Game 1- 6:00 pm CST, Morgan Park (11-5 overall) vs Rock Island (22-2 overall)

Morgan Park- Why to watch: One player in particular stands out above the rest... SG Wayne Blackshear (6-5, 215 lbs, Signed with Louisville). Blackshear is the only McDonald's All-American to set foot on the court of the UIC Pavilion tomorrow (Possible Future McDonald's All-Americans in future classes for Simeon and Morgan Park). What makes Blackshear so special is his college-ready body as a high school senior. Blackshear has the ideal size for a shooting guard as well as the skill. This highly coveted senior received offers from the University of Illinois, Michigan State University, Kansas, Kentucky, Texas, and Marquette amongst others. Rick Pitino was able to land Blackshear even after he reportedly took his verbal commitment  to a soft verbal after DePaul hired Oliver Purnell, but eventually signed on as Louisville's top recruit. His combination of acceleration to the hoop and his sharp-shooting ability makes him tough to guard. Ever since his days at Curie High School in Chicago, Blackshear has always had the physically ability. Though not the best three point shooter, his mid-range game is one of the best in the state. I will be watching his ability to navigate around and through defenders. As the best senior in any of these two games, I expect to see one of the more dominating performances, and if I rub Ms. Cleo's crystal ball, I see 19 pts, 11 rbs, 4 blocks.

Other Players of note on Morgan Park: Sr. SG Jerome Morgan (6-4, 190 lbs, committed to UIC), So PG Billy Garrett, Jr. (6-2, 165 lbs, considering UNLV, DePaul), So SG Terrance Quinn (6-0, 160 lbs, no offers)

Rock Island- Why to watch: Though the overall record is better than Morgan Park, Rock Island did not play the superior competition that Morgan Park did. Not known for being a factory of high-end basketball players, Rock Island definitely has a gem in Sr. combo guard Chasson Randle (6-1, 180 lbs, signed with Stanford). Randle is an above average shooter for a point guard but does not have the size to be a shooting guard. In order to be successful in Palo Alto, Randle will have to develop his passing ability to match his shot. Because his point guard skills are still developing, Randle is still a project. The upside for him, however, is about as high as any other point guard in this glass. Randle heavily considered Purdue and the University of Illinois, but the opportunity to start right away for an up and coming Pac 10 team was too good to pass up. As far as Illinois high school players go, due to the high school he plays at, not too many people have seen him play. Seeing as how Randle is the straw that stirs the Rock Island drink, I expect to see a 7-9 assist game from Randle. More important than his scoring stats, the amount of assists he piles up will show his progression as a point guard from his sophomore year until now.

Final Ponderings- Chasson Randle and Wayne Blackshear are enough to make this game exciting. Since this is not a playground 1-on-1 game, the surrounding pieces to these stars will decide who takes the cake. Because of this, Morgan Park has the edge with their slue of sophomore sidekicks lead by Jerome Morgan to win this game.

Game 2- 8:00 pm CST Simeon (22-1 overall) vs. Benet Academy (25-0 overall)

Simeon- Why to watch: The real question is why not watch. I could create a whole different blog on why the Simeon Wolverines are a must watch. This storied high school basketball program has a potential 8 Division 1 players on the roster now, which is probably more than some college teams in Illinois can say. Simeon Academy is ranked #4 in the whole country and until this last Wednesday, was undefeated. With the city championship dreams dashed by Sam Thompson (Ohio State signee) and Whitney Young High School, Simeon will have to have one of their best games of the season to avoid a loosing streak. Fortunately for Simeon, So SF Jabari Parker (6-7, 220 lbs) plays for them. Parker is quite possibly the best high school prospect from Chicago since Derrick Rose graduated Simeon (or at least that is what John Calipari will have you believe) and left for Memphis before becoming one of the best players in the NBA today. Parker has college coaches drooling like Pavlov's Dog with his size, strength, and overall skill. Every recruiting website has Parker in the top 10 in the class of 2013. Schools that have been going after Parker include Duke, Illinois, Michigan State, DePaul, Georgetown, Kansas, Washington, Ohio State, and Marquette amongst several other offers. According to Parker in an ESPN.com interview, he models his game after Carmelo Anthony and Paul Pierce and with his current physique (I'm not coming on to him but if high school girls were smart, they would) it is easy to see how close he is to their games. With Parker's basketball-rich background, his dad Sonny played 7 seasons in the NBA, Parker has the right people behind him to make sure he stays on a direct path to stardom.
Another star in the making is So SG Kendrick Nunn (6-2, 170 lbs). Nunn burst onto the recruiting scene against Lew Wallace High School and Michigan State bound and Top 20 Sr SF Brandon Dawson by putting on a 3-point shooting display and leading Simeon in scoring on his ESPN debut. If Nunn was a couple inches bigger, he would be right up there with Parker as one of the top players in the class of 2013. Schools like DePaul, Memphis, and Xavier have offered Nunn and many more have definitely taken notice. While Parker gets all the limelight as the primetime player on Simeon, Nunn does an excellent job in his supporting roll getting his. Nunn did not have his best game so I expect him to rebound and show why he continues to climb up all the recruiting boards as a top 50 player in the class of 2013.

Other Players of note for Simeon: Sr PF Ahman Fells (6-4, 185 lbs, signed with UIC), Jr. PF Steve Taylor (6-7, 175 lbs, considering DePaul, New Mexico, Southern Illinois, Xavier)

Benet- Why to watch: Unlike the other 3 teams, Benet does not have one huge star that is the face of the team. The Red Wings have two very good seniors to lead the way. Outside of Simeon, this could be the most complete team in which team basketball wins games rather than stellar play by stellar players. However, this does not mean they don't have great players. Two of them stand out: Sr. C Frank Kaminsky (6-10, 220 lbs, signed with Wisconsin) and Sr. PG David Sobolewski (6-1, 185 lbs, signed with Northwestern). The one with the best upside would be Kaminsky who also received offers from Southern Illinois, Bradley, DePaul, and Northwestern. This future Badger has great size and the frame to add on a lot more muscle. Kaminsky fits the Bo Ryan mold of tall, face-up frontcourt players like Brian Butch, Jon Leuer, and Dave Mader. With his size, Kaminsky will be the biggest player on the court. As for Sobolewski, he sets the table about as good as any point guard in tomorrows games. His passing ability overshadows his shooting accuracy, though his long range shot is very good. I expect Sobolewski to lead his team up and down the court like David Wells lead his teammates through the buffet line. This inside-out combination will be a tough match-up as Benet looks to continue their undefeated season.

Other players to watch: Fr PF/C Sean O'Mara (6-6, 240 lbs, unofficial offer from Illinois)

Final Ponderings: Simeon will look to bounce back after their first loss of the season. Simeon is the most talented high school team in Illinois and argueably the entire country. This does not always translate into wins, though. Benet will not only need big games from their two stars but also somebody else to take the pressure off of them. I expect a big game from Nunn and the typical aw-inspiring performance from Parker. Steve Taylor has improved his game over the last couple of months and that frontcourt depth should outweigh the size that Kaminski has. Since Benet plays more of a possession game rather than an up and down game like Simeon likes to play, I expect this to be lower scoring. In the end, the talent and athleticism will be too much for Benet as the current #1 team in the state will prevail.

Upcoming Post- Results of these games (TBA)


Sources: http://www.maxpreps.com/local/stats/pregame.aspx?contestid=02313a52-3c5a-4c01-b057-60479105410d&ssid=09200a30-6be4-4e87-b709-1caf1bd8617a
http://www.maxpreps.com/local/stats/pregame.aspx?contestid=686df61e-1021-4765-9f35-3e6f643ac341&ssid=09200a30-6be4-4e87-b709-1caf1bd8617a
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recruiting/prospects/
http://rivals.yahoo.com/basketballrecruiting/basketball/recruiting/recruit-search-results;_ylt=ApxDQGCDhhsgM0FbR79aio7WO5B4?sport=basketball&year=2011&hometown=Chicago&state=Illinois