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http://www.usatoday.com/sports/prep...5-henderson-dual-sports_N.htm?POE=click-refer
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Seantrel Henderson is a basketball player trapped in a football player's body.
He's 6-6 and 335 pounds with a surprisingly low level of body fat. The difference between him and his fellow players in the Nike Peach Jam basketball tournament is striking — his biceps are bigger than his opponents' calves. The center for the Howard Pulley Panthers draws double-teams down low and stares from opposing coaches. He would be a tremendous get for a college basketball program if the senior from Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul) weren't the top football recruit in the country.
"Basketball has always been my first love," says Henderson, the No. 1 overall recruit by Rivals.com and No. 1 offensive lineman by Scout.com and Rivals.com. "Doing football and basketball is not a problem in the summer. I work out for football in the morning and play basketball in the evening. Playing basketball keeps me in shape for football."
Henderson says several schools, including UCLA, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Florida State, North Carolina and Ohio State, have talked to him about playing both sports.
Despite his love for basketball, there's little doubt the Minneapolis native will eventually make a living as an offensive lineman in the NFL. He was the only junior last season on the first-team All-USA high school football team, and he's had 50 football scholarship offers.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: National Football League | Ohio State University
In the Peach Jam, where most of the athletes are future Division I basketball players who weigh roughly half what Henderson does, he has struggled but also fit in. In his first game Sunday, he was saddled with four fouls and didn't score in his team's 88-58 loss to Florida's Team Stat. In a 64-57 defeat of Houston Hoops on Monday afternoon, he started off well with a couple of inside baskets. But after he was taken out, he never did find his rhythm. Later that night, however, in a 63-55 defeat of the Jackson (Miss.) Tigers, he scored 10 points, all in the second half, continually powering inside for reverse layups, smartly putting his ample body between himself and his defender to prevent being blocked.
"I know what I can and can't do on the court," Henderson says. "I can shoot a little bit, but my job is to stay around the basket. If I started to bring the ball upcourt, my teammates would come running to me to ask for the ball."
Howard Pulley's top scorer is Harrison Barnes, considered by Rivals.com to be the No. 1 recruit in basketball, which means that an AAU team based in Minneapolis might one day have No. 1 draft picks in two sports.
"We're obviously two different breeds of basketball players, but he does a great job of staying in shape, and that's why he's the No. 1 football recruit in the country," Barnes said. "He really controls the paint, and we hope that he controls the glass for us. The few times that I've run into him (in practice) have been indescribable. You realize you're not as strong as you think you are."
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Seantrel Henderson is a basketball player trapped in a football player's body.
He's 6-6 and 335 pounds with a surprisingly low level of body fat. The difference between him and his fellow players in the Nike Peach Jam basketball tournament is striking — his biceps are bigger than his opponents' calves. The center for the Howard Pulley Panthers draws double-teams down low and stares from opposing coaches. He would be a tremendous get for a college basketball program if the senior from Cretin-Derham Hall (St. Paul) weren't the top football recruit in the country.
"Basketball has always been my first love," says Henderson, the No. 1 overall recruit by Rivals.com and No. 1 offensive lineman by Scout.com and Rivals.com. "Doing football and basketball is not a problem in the summer. I work out for football in the morning and play basketball in the evening. Playing basketball keeps me in shape for football."
Henderson says several schools, including UCLA, Michigan, Wisconsin, Florida, Florida State, North Carolina and Ohio State, have talked to him about playing both sports.
Despite his love for basketball, there's little doubt the Minneapolis native will eventually make a living as an offensive lineman in the NFL. He was the only junior last season on the first-team All-USA high school football team, and he's had 50 football scholarship offers.
FIND MORE STORIES IN: National Football League | Ohio State University
In the Peach Jam, where most of the athletes are future Division I basketball players who weigh roughly half what Henderson does, he has struggled but also fit in. In his first game Sunday, he was saddled with four fouls and didn't score in his team's 88-58 loss to Florida's Team Stat. In a 64-57 defeat of Houston Hoops on Monday afternoon, he started off well with a couple of inside baskets. But after he was taken out, he never did find his rhythm. Later that night, however, in a 63-55 defeat of the Jackson (Miss.) Tigers, he scored 10 points, all in the second half, continually powering inside for reverse layups, smartly putting his ample body between himself and his defender to prevent being blocked.
"I know what I can and can't do on the court," Henderson says. "I can shoot a little bit, but my job is to stay around the basket. If I started to bring the ball upcourt, my teammates would come running to me to ask for the ball."
Howard Pulley's top scorer is Harrison Barnes, considered by Rivals.com to be the No. 1 recruit in basketball, which means that an AAU team based in Minneapolis might one day have No. 1 draft picks in two sports.
"We're obviously two different breeds of basketball players, but he does a great job of staying in shape, and that's why he's the No. 1 football recruit in the country," Barnes said. "He really controls the paint, and we hope that he controls the glass for us. The few times that I've run into him (in practice) have been indescribable. You realize you're not as strong as you think you are."
