WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Henderson's Growth Essential for Duke

Feb 7, 2008

Chapel Hill, N.C. — The third Duke player introduced, Gerald Henderson, drew boos on Wednesday night at the Smith Center, but it wasn’t so much a throaty roar as a sign that Carolina fans weren’t ready to forget a year ago.

When Carolina’s Quentin Thomas was introduced, the ring of “QQQQ!” around the building was just as loud, and sounded almost the same, as what Henderson received.

Despite the build-up, there was almost no element of revenge once this game began. Any UNC fans looking to get even with Henderson quickly found themselves more concerned with how the game was unfolding.

“First of all, it wasn’t that big of a thing,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We get booed, they get booed. There wasn’t anything malicious. …

“I didn’t see anything inappropriate. It was a good, tough game. You expect that. Duke and North Carolina, that’s not going to happen.”

Once the game began, though, Henderson’s performance continued to show why his growth is so critical now to Duke.

Henderson shot into the starting lineup this season over Jon Scheyer, and he simply gives Duke a toughness that was lacking in 1997. Despite the whack from a year ago Henderson, doesn’t come across as a thug.

But what is evident, when he moves on the court and even when he walks, as an athletic ability that’s extraordinary.

He spun around Danny Green for a brilliant dunk.

He blocked Tyler Hansbrough on one UNC series and then yanked down a ferocious rebound on the next.

He stuffed in a rebound of a Paulus shot.

His body just seems to exude speed and power, and his improvement this year is a major reason Duke is so much better this season.

As he left the Smith Center late Wednesday night, he moved with almost a calm, like he expected some boos, wasn’t worried about it, and was ready to move on.

“I wasn’t worried about how the fans were treating me,” Henderson said. “We’ve just trying to win the game.”

The fact that they did is in large part due to the development Henderson has shown this season.