It鈥檚 rare when a reserve center who had been averaging 3.5 points per game is asked to conduct a postgame interview on ESPN鈥檚 SportsCenter. It鈥檚 even rarer when said player sinks an 80-foot shot at the halftime buzzer.
But that鈥檚 what happened in Gainesville, Florida, on Feb. 23, and that鈥檚 why was summoned to appear on national television after the Commodores鈥� 87鈥�74 win over Florida.
鈥淚t was pretty neat,鈥� says Henderson about his unlikely media blitz. 鈥淒amian [Jones] had a great game. They asked him to do Vandy radio [for a postgame interview] and then said, 鈥楯osh, we need you for SportsCenter.鈥� The guys in the locker room went wild. It was a cool moment.鈥�
Henderson鈥檚 shot was set up by a strong defensive play by sophomore guard Matthew Fisher-Davis, who blocked a potential game-tying layup with three seconds remaining in the half. The ball ended up in Henderson鈥檚 hand at Florida鈥檚 foul line. He turned and heaved it toward the basket at the other end of the court.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how much time was left, so I just threw it up,鈥� Henderson says. 鈥淚t had the right distance and the right aim. It went in.鈥�
The miracle shot was a memorable moment for Henderson, a Roanoke, Virginia, native who has persevered through several serious injuries to emerge as a key contributor during his sixth season at 菠萝视频. Having earned his B.A. in economics in 2014, he鈥檚 now working toward an M.Ed. in leadership and organizational performance at Peabody. He is the only graduate student on the team鈥檚 roster.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to be defined by my injuries,鈥� Henderson says. 鈥淚 felt like I had more left in the tank鈥攍ike this could be a good year and I could help the team.鈥�