All Things Henry Ellenson Thread

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Henry moves well for his size, but if you are comparing him to other high-major power forwards, especially 4 or 5 stars, he is below average in terms of speed and athleticism. If he was above average speed and athleticisim he would probably be a top 5 player.
 

Geez are you comparing him to college athletes or sophomores in high school like Henry is?
 


Annie said:
Geez are you comparing him to college athletes or sophomores in high school like Henry is?
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Comparing him to high major power forward prospects like himself. Things like speed really don't improve that much, if at all, after you're 16 anyway (keep in mind most PF prospects are a lot smaller than him, so it's not really a fair comparison anyway). Not trying to bring Henry down. He's a phenomenal prospect. Very, very impressive and deserving of a 5-star rating. Love watching him play and am really hoping he becomes a Gopher.
 

You also have to take in about how more he weighs than the other centers/forwards... He is 50 pounds heavier than some of them.
 


Henry is 6'9", 250 lbs. with no fat. He is 15 going on 16 years old. He runs the floor better than any big kid I have seen lately, and has good hands, nice outside shot, etc. that is a different kind of athletic skill set. He isn't the kind of slashing / leaping athlete like his brother or some other leaner athletic types. He reminds me a lot of Keith Van Horn when he played for Utah. This kid is going to be outstanding. We need him!
 

XMan said:
Henry isn't an athlete the way wally is (jumping, etc.) but for a 6'9" he is very athletic. He plays mostly on the wing right now and gets up and down the court real well. Have you seen him play?
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I have seen Henry a number of times in a number of environments, most recently on Tuesday (as my posted noted). He is very skilled and very big. For a young big, he moves well, but I don't think he projects to anything but a big forward (or even center). I do not see him being able to guard SFs or other perimeter players at the next level. Saying he is not a good athlete is probably not approrpriate for what I was trying to get across. He is listed by Rice Lake as a G/F, and he certainly shoots well enough to be called a G, but I see him as a big forward who can step out and knock down shots from the perimeter as opposed to someone who is a perimeter player.

I think it was you who mentioned Keith Van Horn as a comparison. In my opinion, I don't think Henry will ever be quite that mobile.
 

Chris Monter ‏@collegebbnews

Sophomore Henry Ellenson of Rice Lake along with senior brother Elwood are both watching the Gophers & older brother current freshman Wally
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Speed, strength, leaping ability & especially overall coordination all improve with time, especially for big guys who develop later. I agree he's not a freak athlete/leaper like Wally (few are), but he's ranked #89 in the nation in his class & has offers from the Gophers, Georgetown, BC, Marquette, Baylor, Iowa St et al & he's only a Sophomore. I know you're not trying to dump on him, I just wanted to jump in here & point out he is a highly regarded recruit & will be a great addition to the Gophers if we can land him.

GophersOnTheRise said:
Comparing him to high major power forward prospects like himself. Things like speed really don't improve that much, if at all, after you're 16 anyway (keep in mind most PF prospects are a lot smaller than him, so it's not really a fair comparison anyway). Not trying to bring Henry down. He's a phenomenal prospect. Very, very impressive and deserving of a 5-star rating. Love watching him play and am really hoping he becomes a Gopher.
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My take as well. I'm exited at the idea of a kid who's potentially 6'10-6"11", 285-300lbs & can knock jumpers/down 3 pointers. He's no SF in the B1G, but I'll take guys with that size/skill set all day long.

UWOle said:
I have seen Henry a number of times in a number of environments, most recently on Tuesday (as my posted noted). He is very skilled and very big. For a young big, he moves well, but I don't think he projects to anything but a big forward (or even center). I do not see him being able to guard SFs or other perimeter players at the next level. Saying he is not a good athlete is probably not approrpriate for what I was trying to get across. He is listed by Rice Lake as a G/F, and he certainly shoots well enough to be called a G, but I see him as a big forward who can step out and knock down shots from the perimeter as opposed to someone who is a perimeter player.

I think it was you who mentioned Keith Van Horn as a comparison. In my opinion, I don't think Henry will ever be quite that mobile.
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Costa Rican Gopher said:
Speed, strength, leaping ability & especially overall coordination all improve with time, especially for big guys who develop later. I agree he's not a freak athlete/leaper like Wally (few are), but he's ranked #89 in the nation in his class & has offers from the Gophers, Georgetown, BC, Marquette, Baylor, Iowa St et al & he's only a Sophomore. I know you're not trying to dump on him, I just wanted to jump in here & point out he is a highly regarded recruit & will be a great addition to the Gophers if we can land him.
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Actually I believe he is ranked 22nd in the class of 2015. 89 is his scout rank 89/100.
 

I walked by Henry after the Lafayette game and I was able to appreciate his size firsthand. I'm 6'8" 200lbs, and I felt absolutely dwarfed next to him and his Dad. This kid is an absolute must get based on his size alone.
 



Henry's game is just beginning to develop. He is playing very well now and has improved significantly since last year. He is a beast now and will only get better. We got a taste of Wally's athleticism during the Lafayette game. I would live to see Wally and Henry both wearing maroon and gold in a couple years.
 


Coach Jirsa attended the Ellenson's game last night.

Go Gophers!!
 

Some raw footage of Henry Ellenson from the summer for those who are interested:

 


If he can improve his speed and his jumping all while continuing to get stronger, he will be an absolute animal! I'd take him on my team in an instant.
 


Love his passing ability. But I'm surprised there wasn't one dunk in that video. With his brother's hops, I assumed he would be a dunking machine too. Either way, I love the kid's potential.
 

He looks very coordinated but appears to have a completely different body type than Wally. Wally seems pretty athletic and this dude seems more of a bruiser big that can extend the floor with a nice jump shot. He don’t go the hops like Wally.
 


Class of 2015 power forward/center Henry Ellenson (Rice Lake, Wisc./Rice Lake) turned heads this past summer with his play during the 2012 USA Basketball Men's Developmental National Team Mini-Camp. That performance has carried over to the high school season, as he’s not only turning heads, he’s garnering offers and interest from a number of high majors.

"Right now I have six offers: Georgetown, Minnesota, Baylor, Iowa State, Boston College and Marquette,” says Ellenson, the No. 22 player in the ESPN 25.

Ellenson is also receiving interest from Kansas, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Henry's brother Wally is a freshman guard for Tubby Smith, so Ellenson is getting a good, up-close look at the Gopher program.

"We go to Minnesota a lot to see Wally play," says Ellenson.

Ellenson is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound post with a big, strong body. He is a good athlete and very athletic for his size. Ellenson is an excellent finisher who runs the floor well and is a pick-and-roll or pop threat. He is a load in the low post and Ellenson can also put the ball on the floor to make scoring plays off the dribble. Ellenson is also a good area rebounder. His size and skill level is what makes him special and a very difficult matchup, especially on the high school level where he has already seen his share of junk defenses.

"I have seen a lot of box-and-1 defenses," says Ellenson, who is averaging around 20 points and 10 rebounds per game this season. "I have to post up against the box-and-1 but I have also been scoring from 3 and taking it to the rim off the dribble -- something I have been working on.”

Ellenson is a treat to watch compete and he can make plays that often resemble a perimeter player. Ellenson has very good size for a player his age and tremendous upside, so expect this big man to make some serious noise the remainder of the high school season and into the spring and summer travel season.
 



Yes Why would Henry choose Minnesota? His brother sits on the bench while starters go 0-10. Most people could walk out of the stands and have better luck scoring right now!
 


Goldiegirl said:
Yes Why would Henry choose Minnesota? His brother sits on the bench while starters go 0-10. Most people could walk out of the stands and have better luck scoring right now!
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His brother will get his chance. Patience young Wally. I foresee big things from Wally. It's a long career. Oh. And it's a long season as well. Plenty o time to get PT this season. ;)
 

Goldiegirl said:
Yes Why would Henry choose Minnesota? His brother sits on the bench while starters go 0-10. Most people could walk out of the stands and have better luck scoring right now!
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The Ellenson's are a smart basketball family. They know the ups and downs of a season, especially with a freshman who was injured earlier in the year. They know if Wally was at a mid-major he'd be getting more PT, but Wally is on a Top 25 team will get his time. It may not be as much as they want this year, but his role will increase as he continues to work hard and develop. It has to be very special for parents to think that two of their sons could play together in the Big Ten just a few quick hours from home and the opportunity to see the two together has to be very cool for the Ellenson family.

Go Gophers!!
 

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