Gerald Henderson, Jr.

Infobox NCAA Athlete
name = Gerald Henderson


caption =
college = Duke University
conference = ACC
sport = Basketball
position = Guard
jersey = 15
career_start = 2001
nationality = American
birth_date = birth date and age|1987|12|9
birth_place = Caldwell, New Jersey
highschool = Episcopal Academy, Merion, Pennsylvania
former_school(s)=
awards =

Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson, Jr. (born December 9, 1987 in Caldwell, New Jersey) is an American college basketball player in the NCAA for the Duke Blue Devils.cite web|title="Gerald Henderson"|work=GoDuke.com|url=http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=22727&SPID=1845&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=620658&Q_SEASON=2006|accessdate=2007-03-28]

Henderson attended high school at Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania, where he teamed up with current UNC basketball player, Wayne Ellington. He is the son of former NBA player Gerald Henderson. Gerald was ranked as the 18th best high school senior by The Recruiting Services Consensus Index.

Henderson has averaged 9.9 PPG and 3.8 RPG, while shooting 47% from the field in the first two seasons at Duke. [http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/players/statlines.php?playerid=517] He made the game winning finger roll to avoid the upset against 15 seed Belmont in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Henderson's superb athletic ability and supreme physicality make him a top-notch NBA prospect, and [http://www.nbadraft.net NBADraft.Net] currently forecasts him as a high lottery pick in the 2009 NBA draft.cite web|title="2009 NBA Draft"|work=NBADRAFT.net|url=http://www.nbadraft.net/index.asp?content=mock2009|date=2007-07-12|accessdate=2007-07-12]

College career statistics

Freshman

GP: 30, PPG: 6.8, RPG: 2.9, APG: 1.1, FG%: 45.1

ophomore

GP: 34, PPG: 12.7 RPG: 4.7, APG: 1.6, FG%: 47.4cite web|title="Gerald Henderson"|work=CNNSI.com|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/players/60214/|accessdate=2007-03-28]

National attention

Henderson gained national attention after a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels on March 4, 2007. In the final moments of the contest, Henderson struck North Carolina player Tyler Hansbrough in the face, breaking Hansbrough's nose. [http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=270630153 UNC clinches top ACC seed; Williams gets 100th win at school] ] Henderson was immediately ejected from the game for "a flagrant foul for a confrontational and combative action," [http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=2787890&sportCat=ncb In a battle of image, Duke takes black eye] ] which automatically results in a one game suspension. The play was controversial and generated discussion as to whether the foul was intentional or not. Henderson later said "I was not intentionally trying to hurt anybody," ... "Obviously, it was a foul. I was not trying to hurt or hit the kid."

Henderson also scored a go-ahead layup with 11.9 seconds left in a 2008 NCAA Tournament game against Belmont, giving Duke a 71-70 victory. [ [http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=284000043 Henderson's layup, Nelson's steal save Duke from upset loss] ]

References