Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Could Xavier Henry be headed to Europe?
Xavier and his father Carl Henry told the Kansas City Star that a month after Xavier committed to play for Kansas the family looked into a deal that would have sent Xavier to Europe next season.
“You don’t have to take any classes,” Xavier told the newspaper.
The deal would’ve paid Xavier $1 million, but the snag was that they would not have known which team he would play for (Say what?).
“I’m the one going over there with him,” Carl said. “I’m not going over there where they’re fighting.”
In a separate interview with TheShiver.com, Carl confirmed that both Xavier and C.J. Henry would play for Kansas next year. He said both are hard at work for basketball season but are not working out with the team or attending summer school.
In August, they plan to work out with NBA players in L.A.
“We are going out to L.A. in August, like the 2nd-9th, to work out with a lot of pros out there. Paul Pierce, Derrick Rose, Sheldon Williams, and Tyreke Evans. I know a lot of those guys from my days and we think it will be great for them to work out with those guys,” Carl Henry said. “Blake Griffin and his brother Taylor both went out there and worked out in the past too.”
They will head to Kansas in mid-August.
“I think classes start somewhere around August 19th. I think we are heading up on like the 17th or so,” Henry said. “Both boys have been enrolled in classes.”
Americans heading to Europe instead of American colleges is a hot trend. Brandon Jennings did it last year and was the No. 10 pick of the recent NBA Draft.
Jeremy Tyler, a 6-10 big man from San Diego, will skip his senior year of high school and play two years overseas — potentially in Israel — before entering the 2011 NBA Draft.
Even Epiphanny Prince, a former Rutgers women’s player who once scored 113 points in a high school game, is leaving Rutgers to play overseas.
The recent news about Henry has even sparked some conspiracy theorists to mention to me that perhaps Lance Stephenson is holding out on his commitment to see exactly what Henry does.
If Henry were to go to Europe, Lance could theoretically wind up back at Kansas, his first choice all along.
More likely is that Stephenson, whose sexual assault case was adjourned until July 15, will end up at Cincinnati or somewhere else.
As for Henry and those in his class, Jeff Goodman has a 2010 mock NBA draft out and Henry is No. 6 behind John Wall, Derrick Favors, Ed Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Renardo Sidney.Devin Ebanks of Long Island City, N.Y. and a rising sophomore at West Virginia is No. 20; Tyshawn Taylor, Henry’s teammate at Kansas and a former standout for Bob Hurley at St. Anthony of Jersey City, is No. 26; and former Manhattan Rice and current UConn star Kemba Walker is No. 29.
Jeff, no fan of Lance Stephenson, has him as a “Wild Card.”
One NBA Draft expert told me Stephenson would have been a “late lottery” pick in this year’s draft had he been eligible, which he wasn’t because of the NBA age limit.
Adam Zagoria is a Basketball Insider who covers basketball at all levels. A contributor to The New York Times and SportsNet New York (SNY), he is also the author of two books and is an award-winning journalist and filmmaker. His articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide. He also won an Emmy award for his work on the SNY mini-documentary on Syracuse guard Tyus Battle.
A veteran Ultimate Frisbee player, he has competed in numerous National and World Championships and, perhaps more importantly, his teams won the Westchester Summer League (WSL) championships in 2011 and 2013.
He lives in Manhattan with his wife and children.
Could Xavier Henry be headed to Europe?
Xavier and his father Carl Henry told the Kansas City Star that a month after Xavier committed to play for Kansas the family looked into a deal that would have sent Xavier to Europe next season.
“You don’t have to take any classes,” Xavier told the newspaper.
The deal would’ve paid Xavier $1 million, but the snag was that they would not have known which team he would play for (Say what?).
“I’m the one going over there with him,” Carl said. “I’m not going over there where they’re fighting.”
In a separate interview with TheShiver.com, Carl confirmed that both Xavier and C.J. Henry would play for Kansas next year. He said both are hard at work for basketball season but are not working out with the team or attending summer school.
In August, they plan to work out with NBA players in L.A.
“We are going out to L.A. in August, like the 2nd-9th, to work out with a lot of pros out there. Paul Pierce, Derrick Rose, Sheldon Williams, and Tyreke Evans. I know a lot of those guys from my days and we think it will be great for them to work out with those guys,” Carl Henry said. “Blake Griffin and his brother Taylor both went out there and worked out in the past too.”
They will head to Kansas in mid-August.
“I think classes start somewhere around August 19th. I think we are heading up on like the 17th or so,” Henry said. “Both boys have been enrolled in classes.”
Americans heading to Europe instead of American colleges is a hot trend. Brandon Jennings did it last year and was the No. 10 pick of the recent NBA Draft.
Jeremy Tyler, a 6-10 big man from San Diego, will skip his senior year of high school and play two years overseas — potentially in Israel — before entering the 2011 NBA Draft.
Even Epiphanny Prince, a former Rutgers women’s player who once scored 113 points in a high school game, is leaving Rutgers to play overseas.
The recent news about Henry has even sparked some conspiracy theorists to mention to me that perhaps Lance Stephenson is holding out on his commitment to see exactly what Henry does.
If Henry were to go to Europe, Lance could theoretically wind up back at Kansas, his first choice all along.
More likely is that Stephenson, whose sexual assault case was adjourned until July 15, will end up at Cincinnati or somewhere else.
As for Henry and those in his class, Jeff Goodman has a 2010 mock NBA draft out and Henry is No. 6 behind John Wall, Derrick Favors, Ed Davis, Al-Farouq Aminu and Renardo Sidney.
Devin Ebanks of Long Island City, N.Y. and a rising sophomore at West Virginia is No. 20; Tyshawn Taylor, Henry’s teammate at Kansas and a former standout for Bob Hurley at St. Anthony of Jersey City, is No. 26; and former Manhattan Rice and current UConn star Kemba Walker is No. 29.
Jeff, no fan of Lance Stephenson, has him as a “Wild Card.”
One NBA Draft expert told me Stephenson would have been a “late lottery” pick in this year’s draft had he been eligible, which he wasn’t because of the NBA age limit.
