Kansas' Xavier Henry Declares for the NBA Draft
by Owen on Apr 7, 2010 1:25 PM CDT
in Kansas Jayhawk Basketball
Email
PrintLAWRENCE, Kan. - University of Kansas guard Xavier Henry declared for the NBA Draft Wednesday afternoon. Henry will meet with the media at a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m to discuss the decision.
Henry played one season at Kansas in which the Jayhawks went 33-3, won the Big 12 regular-season title with a 15-1 record, won the Big 12 championship and was ranked No. 1 for 15 weeks during 2009-10. The Oklahoma City native averaged 13.4 ppg for the season, and was KU's second-leading scorer. Henry was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week three times during the 2009-10 season (Dec. 7, Dec. 14 and Feb. 22) and led KU in scoring in 11 games. An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection and freshman All-America by many outlets, Henry led Kansas with 54 steals and had a KU freshman-record-tying seven steals against Baylor (Jan. 20). Henry, who was also named to the 2010 Big 12 All-Rookie team, was second on the team with 69 three-point field goals made and made multiple three-pointers in 21 contests. He finished fifth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 41.8 percent. He ranked 18th in the Big 12 in scoring at 13.4 ppg, eighth in steals at 1.5 and 13th in three-pointers made at 1.9.
An All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection and freshman All-America by many outlets, Henry led Kansas with 54 steals and had a KU freshman-record-tying seven steals against Baylor (Jan. 20). Henry, who was also named to the 2010 Big 12 All-Rookie team, was second on the team with 69 three-point field goals made and made multiple three-pointers in 21 contests. He finished fifth in the Big 12 in three-point field goal percentage at 41.8 percent. He ranked 18th in the Big 12 in scoring at 13.4 ppg, eighth in steals at 1.5 and 13th in three-pointers made at 1.9.
A member of the Athletic Director's and Big 12 Commissioner's honor rolls in Fall 2009, Henry had four games of 20-plus points this season, including a career-high 31 points against LaSalle at the M&I Bank Kansas City Shootout at the Sprint Center on Dec. 12.
Henry joins teammate Cole Aldrich in declaring for the NBA Draft before his eligibility had expired. Aldrich declared on March 29.
Xavier Henry Career Honors:
2009-10: Collegeinsider.com Freshman All-America team... FoxSports.com All-Freshman Team... USBWA District VI... All-Big 12 Honorable Mention... Big 12 All-Rookie Team... Big 12 All-Freshman Team (media)... Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Feb. 22)... Athletics Director's and Big 12 Commissioner's honor rolls (fall 2009)... Wooden Award Midseason Candidate (top 30)... Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 14)... Phillip 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week (Dec. 7)... Preseason Wooden Award Watch List.
43 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
A little before the presser...
but this thing is official per the KUAD so the story is out.
53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!
I was about to say
that this seems premature seeing as he is suppose to announce his intentions at the presser, but saw the article on kuathletics.com and realized that you had just copy/pasted that article. Then I also noticed that there are at least one other article on here that was copy/pasted from there are as well. Are you the original author of these articles, because if not you better give credit where credit is due, because we all know Lew loves to sue people.
Everybody hears, but few listen.
I've explained before...
many of the “AP Style” articles on the site are from the KUAD and distributed as press releases to the media. That’s where this comes from, you’ll find similar usage of these elsewhere.
As a whole though, the articles on the site that are more opinion based, recruit interviews or preview/wrap up type material are all original my friend. I can assure you that.
53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!
just to explain further...
the primary reason I run these is for two purposes.
1.) So we have a thread to discuss newsworthy KU items on the site. When something of note happens and the KUAD sends out a release I’m not crazy enough to think that people come here for that news since it’s already out there. It’s more to provide a platform for the discussion.
2.) I’m all for banging the KU drum as loud as I can. If the AD wants information out, I’m happy to disseminate it here as well. Plus, I’m working toward something behind the scenes and supporting the information in the way they want it out can only help.
53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!
thanks for the clarification
I’m not trying to bust your balls, I’ve just always assumed that when posting an article from another source you had to cite that source. I’m a big fan of the site and wouldn’t want to see it taken down for any reason.
Everybody hears, but few listen.
no worries....
I just know that it has come up on here before and I certainly am not trying to take credit for anything not my own. These are just press releases sent out by the KU Media Relations department so they are good to go.
Just figured since you brought it up there were probably others on here who might want some clarification, and I certainly don’t want anyone thinking we’re trying to pull one over on people around here. That’s not the intent so I’m glad you brought it up again actually.
Perhaps I’ll start putting a link at the bottom of these just to make it a little more clear.
53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!
Probably a good idea to make some kind of hat tip to KUAD...
Never know when a policy might be changed on their part. CYA and all that.
"Here are our top priorities: recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the North, recruit, win the Big 12, and in most cases if you win the Big 12 then you're playing for a National Championship. And then we're going to recruit."
by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Apr 7, 2010 7:42 PM CDT up reply actions
Definitely opens the door for a whole lot of minutes...
if Doron Lamb wants to give Kansas a shot. Selby jumps in with some of Sherron’s minutes. Lamb jumps in for some of Xavier’s? Interesting to think about and the rumors are out there.
53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!
Or EJ, T2, Mario, Releford, Brady, and Tyrel can fill some minutes.
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
Good luck to him.
I never fully committed to him as a Jayhawk, another year would have done it for me.
But I do believe this is the right move for him at this time. Now…what happens with CJ?
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
I feel the same way
I don’t have any problem with the kid and seemed like a real nice guy, but I never really felt much of a connection. Maybe it was a defense mechanism knowing that he would probably be one and done. As far as CJ goes I don’t really see him sticking around, seeing as his intention was to play with his brother and now that his brother is gone and never establishing a name for himself on this team I couldn’t imagine he would get many minutes even if he wanted to stay.
Everybody hears, but few listen.
where would he go?
back to baseball? He’s not going to the NBA this year. He showed flashes of real talent when he saw the floor. I think we have CJ for at least 2 more years.
Is back from being a KSU fan for a week. Now, onto SPRING FOOTBALL and OPENING DAY!!!
I was wondering about that also.
He left baseball because he had issues with his vision which led to him being a poor hitter. Seems unlikely he could give that another shot. We have a lot of options at guard next year, but also a lot of questions. If CJ could stay healthy, it seems possible he could get some decent minutes. Unless he’s just going to follow X around and be part of his posse or something, I’d think he’d come back next year and give it another shot.
by hunter s. royal on Apr 7, 2010 3:41 PM CDT up reply actions
CJ isn't going anywhere.
And if he’s healthy, he will push for a starting job next year.
Yeah. I said it.
"Here are our top priorities: recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the North, recruit, win the Big 12, and in most cases if you win the Big 12 then you're playing for a National Championship. And then we're going to recruit."
by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Apr 7, 2010 7:44 PM CDT up reply actions
Id just like to say
whoop tee do. Not that I was anti Xavier but I’m not going to cry over someone who probably didn’t want to be here in the first place leaving.
Beadlemaniacs - Award winning* college basketball blog (new and improved!)
Olympics!
I think I fall squarely into this category.
Good player, seems like a nice kid from the interviews I’ve read & video clips. I just feel he rarely gave 100% (obviously that’s speculation on my part), he always knew he was 1 and done, often seemed to play like that.
No denying he’s got talent and I hope he does well in the NBA.
by MichiganJayHawk on Apr 7, 2010 2:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Evidence?
Probably didn’t want to be here in the first place.
Then why didn’t he go to Europe?
Or play in the D-League?
Or go mess around at some Prep School?
Or go to an agent’s training ground like IMG Academy?
Or stick with Memphis?
Or go to Kentucky?
Or stay at home and go to Oklahoma?
If you hate Carl Henry, just come out and say it. But spare the “armchair psychologist” act. The kid was crying at his presser today- you want to tell me that was acting? That he didn’t care? Please.
"Here are our top priorities: recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the North, recruit, win the Big 12, and in most cases if you win the Big 12 then you're playing for a National Championship. And then we're going to recruit."
by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Apr 7, 2010 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Didn't want to be here probably isn't the best way to word it
but obviously he would have gone to the NBA had he had the chance. The reasoning for not going to Europe or the D League is simple: who knows what would happen? Sure it worked for Brandon Jennings, but he had a shitty time over in Europe, and Jeremy Tyler left his team altogether. And who knows what will happen with Williams who went to the D League. Going to Kansas assured that his stock would be virtually unchanged, and because of the impending lockout.
Again, I’m not anti-X, I just think he came here as a stepping stone, not cause he absolutely loved it here. And not to compare him to someone who is quite possibly satan, but John Wall seemed to show a lot more passion wearing a Kentucky uniform than X ever did wearing a Kansas one.
Beadlemaniacs - Award winning* college basketball blog (new and improved!)
Olympics!
Curious why he didn't show that much emotion on court then...
I don’t think anybody is saying that he didn’t impact KU this year, like posted above, he led the team in scoring in almost 1/3 of the games this season, incredible for a freshman. I think what I see is that there were flashes of brilliance, but then he often seemed to disappear and settle back and was content to just BE on the court.
Maybe all the pre-season hype he garnered (especially thank to his dad) led to unrealistic expectations. Compared to John Wall I would say that X was not nearly the impact player he was sold to be. How often did he become the go-to guy? Maybe it was the system (the Collins & Aldrich show) that limited his dominance, maybe he’s just not the ‘take-over’ type. Maybe we expected a highlight real night after night (which is often what one-and-done has meant in the past) and we were given a solid workhorse…. I think that’s where you find the detractors.
PS: I have nothing against Carl Henry — still have one of his KU wristbands somewhere in my KU collection at home.
by MichiganJayHawk on Apr 8, 2010 6:39 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Door. Butt.
Don’t let it hit you.
Is back from being a KSU fan for a week. Now, onto SPRING FOOTBALL and OPENING DAY!!!
So, so lame.
Save that attitude for the CJ Giles and JR Giddens types.
"Here are our top priorities: recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the North, recruit, win the Big 12, and in most cases if you win the Big 12 then you're playing for a National Championship. And then we're going to recruit."
by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Apr 7, 2010 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions
No shit.
Xavier worked far harder for the team this year than most of the people reading this site have ever done for any group of people other than themselves. It takes a ridiculous amount of commitment to play basketball at this school, and he definitely showed that, otherwise he wouldn’t have been playing.
You don’t believe he cared about this team, then watch his press conference.
by 2.1 seconds left on Apr 7, 2010 10:00 PM CDT up reply actions
agree...
today was eye opening. I’ll be the first to admit that i didn’t give the kid enough credit, but today was the slap in the face I needed to wake back up. I’ve got a quick piece coming in the morning on the subject.
53 Conference Championships!! and now 6 IN A ROW!!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!
I wish him luck
and I appreciate that he did well with his time at KU and seems to be a good kid. But at the same time I’m not sad to see him go, I’m just not. Door. Butt. Don’t let it hit you. Best of luck in the NBA.
Is back from being a KSU fan for a week. Now, onto SPRING FOOTBALL and OPENING DAY!!!
Of all the players that have come to KU
To think that this kid is the first one-and-done is weird. I just feel like we have had much more talented Freshmen come through. I guess I would feel like it would have been more worth it if he had put up Wall type numbers.
Either way, thanks for the year Xavier Henry.
he was the second highest scoring freshman
to play at kansas…only behind danny manning by like 13 points or so. that’s quite impressive.
When you put it that way yes.
But, he just didn’t seem that special. Maybe it’s tough to compare because we’ve had some players become real special in there sophmore, junior, and senior years.
I’ll just feel more comfortable about it if he is less Bill Walker in the NBA and more OJ Mayo.
And, add to that that . . .
That K-State’s one-and-done list includes Michael Beasely and Bill Walker. Texas’ Kevin Durant. All of those player’s at least feel like one-and-done talent.
beasley and durant
were top 2 picks and deservedly so. walker was a second rounder. i think x will be somewhere in the midteens.
But I'm trying to not look at it in terms of draft position but impact.
All of those players had major impact on their teams. How many more games did KU win because Henry was here? Most of his big scoring games seem to come in blowouts. He disappeared in both our losses.
He was a nice role player and maybe we won 1 or 2 more games because of it. I don’t think KU would have suffered greatly if he never came here.
i see what you're trying to get at
but i disagree. i don’t think we would have done as well with little or releford playing the 3. henry was the second leading scorer on a loaded team. i feel that he held back so as not to overshadow collins and the rest of the team.
And maybe it is true he was holding back.
If that is so, and he goes off in the NBA, that actually makes it more disappointing to me because I will have never seen that level of performance from him in a KU uniform.
I not trying to belittle the guy. I really am glad he came and played. I’ve just been sitting around for much of the last decade watching big-time talent play for other teams and then go on to be big time players in the NBA. Despite being one of the top four programs in all of college basketball, KU has only produced one meaningful player (Hinrich) and one superstar in the last 20 years. How many All Stars over that period played at Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, or hell even Texas. Sure, we have a lot of players in the league but not many impact players. I thought Henry was going to be that and he wasn’t here. And now he is a one-and-done and somehow I feel cheated by the whole experience.
I’m really turning more to the position that Self should avoid top ten talent and just continue to put together collections of 3 and 4 year player.
i only want one and doners
if we already have a team in place and need a missing piece to the puzzle or a one and doner who really wants to go to kansas. other than that, i’d rather have the 2-4 year guys. kansas is not a stepping stone to the nba. i don’t want a mass exodus of freshmen to the nba. plus, i think the school can get penalized because they have to maintain a certain graduation rate.
i see what you’re saying about our players in the nba. we don’t have as many superstars as some other schools. our only superstar is paul pierce. i would like to see more, but i don’t watch the nba, so i’d rather have them be superstars in a kansas uniform. in the end, having solid players in the nba is still good for recruiting.
I hope he gets drafted high
Higher than he should and plays. Look for all the bitching we are doing about effort, only getting one year, etc there is a silver lining. This will def help our recruiting. Not only with one and done type players who want to play one (maybe two) years and then jump to the pros but for anyone who wants to contribute early and have a shot at the NBA at some point.
What X showed potential recruits is this: If you got the goods, Self will play you. Age, year, etc etc doesn’t matter. Thats why X played all year and EJ didn’t (do everyone’s dismay). If you have the talent, even joining us when we are ranked first in the country and only lose three games all year, you can play 30 minutes a game as a true frosh, get some spotlight AND compete for a title.
In the end we only got X one year but we got:
a) good production out of him (compared to anyone else who would have played the wing on the team)
b) Allowed Little to redshirt and get healthy and allowed Releford to redshirt and continue to develop. I think this will really help us next year and into the future.
c) Showed top HS recruits that if you got talent you will play. A lot. Even on a loaded team.
d) Showed HS recruits Self can get you to the league.
All in all the Xavier Henry experiment was pretty successful in my opinion, especially when considering the long run
Shit happens when you win championships
by Andrew Clark on Apr 7, 2010 4:07 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs
That's a bit wishful
He’s not nearly the shooter Allen is…
"Not to be cliché or anything, but I’m Jayhawk born and Jayhawk bred and when I die I’ll be Jayhawk dead." - Ovechwin
by Andy Edwards on Apr 7, 2010 4:15 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh, he isn't.
I’ve just always thought that is the player he reminded me of most. I remember him making a comment that he wanted to be like Lebron and Kobe. He should want to be like Allen.
agreed...
and to top it all off, X loved kansas and his experience on the court and in school. he was an emotional mess at the press conference which made me feel like he will always have a connection with kansas and not using us as a stepping stone. plus i was totally impressed with his 3.6 gpa in 36 hours and he wants to get his degree. that is very impressive for a one and done imo.
by nugyt on Apr 7, 2010 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
