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A Big Man, A Big Buzz

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 25, 2008

TAMPA - Meet John Henson, the 6-foot-10, 200-pound basketball player from Sickles High School, all arms and legs, a full-court attraction.

The Next Big Thing? You bet. With size-16 sneakers and a wingspan that measures 7-4, it's mind-blowing to think about what he might become, when he finally stops growing, when that frame fills out. According to several scouting services, Henson is the third-ranked prep player in America. Already, he has signed with the University of North Carolina.

But he moved here from Texas just a few months ago, after his father got a new human-resources job, so on-court Henson sightings have been UFO-like. Who could really separate hyperbole from reality? Monday night, formal introductions were in order.

Not bad, kid.

Henson had 16 points, five rebounds and six blocked shots - all on a bum right ankle - in Sickles' 63-27 season-opening win at Freedom. Normal fans were overrun by curiosity seekers, who filled up one side of the gym, leaving only standing room along the wall.

"Of course, people wanted to see him," Freedom coach Randy Grenon said.

"Hey, we wanted to see him, too."

He's just getting started around here, but already, people are saying Henson could leave as the finest basketball player Hillsborough County has ever seen.

That's jumping to the head of a pretty good group - modern-era names such as Charlie Bradley, Toney Mack, Horace Broadnax, Joey and Stephen Graham, Russell Evans, Dwayne Schintzius, Ricky Gallon, Desmond Allison, Casey Sanders and Nick Smith still resonate - but Henson's game suggests that potential.

"I've seen most of the great ones to come through here, even played with a few of them," said Sickles coach Renaldo Garcia, a former All-State player at Tampa Catholic who was starting point guard on the University of Florida's first SEC championship team in 1989. "The big men from here - Dwayne Schintzius, Casey Sanders and those guys - they were different types of players.

"John can do more. The game has changed. This is a different kind of player, a different kind of athlete."

Hyperbole? OK, we'll play along. Think about the NBA. Visualize Kevin Garnett, running the court like a point guard. Picture Kevin Durant, driving to the hole or shooting from long-range with equal confidence. Those are the flashes you see from John Henson.

His first shot, of course, was a thunderous dunk. He followed with a silky-smooth 15-foot jumper, and the ball barely made a ripple through the net. Later, he displayed a sweeping left-handed baby hook, which originated from another area code.

"That is a complete offensive game," said David Zimroth, a former assistant coach at Florida State University and the University of South Florida, who squeezed into the crowd. "His skills are off the charts."

Later, there were a flurry of blocked shots, a no-look pass that resulted in a layup for his wide-open teammate and a particularly memorable missed field-goal attempt. He quickly skied for the rebound, dunking it home.

And to think he almost didn't play Monday night.

Last week in practice, he rolled his right ankle. Garcia didn't want any risks - particularly because Sickles will leave on Thanksgiving for a prestigious national tournament in Peoria, Ill. - but he was mindful that fans clamored to see Henson's game.

"I'm definitely not 100 percent," said Henson, 17, who expects to play in tonight's home opener against Hillsborough. "I know some people probably came here looking for a show. I just wanted to win, play my game. It's not just me. This was a good program before I got here. I just want to contribute."

That attitude already has endeared Henson to his teammates and classmates.

It wasn't exactly the opener he had in mind. For one thing, the bus never showed up and Sickles players waited about two hours before finding transportation. The late arrival forced cancellation of the junior-varsity game. Then the scoreboard didn't work.

None of it mattered.

"John is just a great kid," Sickles assistant coach Sam Jones said. "When we heard there was this great 6-10 player moving to Tampa, and he might be coming to us, we thought it was a joke. Those things don't happen. At first, we didn't believe it."

Believe it. And he's only getting started.

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