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Henton Eyes the NBA

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Nearly 90 days have passed since the final buzzer sounded at Nationwide Arena, the site which hosted Providence College’s second appearance in the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons. It was a buzzer that not only ended the Friars’ season but also LaDontae Henton’s storied four year run at PC. A career which leaves his name etched in PC record books just 79 points shy of tying the school’s all-time points mark of 2,138 – set by Ryan Gomes in 2005.

Stepping off the court for a final time in downtown Columbus, OH, Henton finished his career with 2,059 points but his focus is now set on the NBA.

To begin his pursuit of professional basketball, Henton has already worked out for several NBA teams, including the Spurs, 76ers and Celtics this past Monday. Henton has additional workouts scheduled in the coming weeks with a visit to Detroit on Saturday, Los Angeles on the 15th and Brooklyn on the 22nd. When asked how his most recent workout with the Celtics went, Henton shared, “It went great! It was probably my best workout so far. The guys over there were great and it was just a great experience to be over there, in the Celtics locker room and everything.”

Receiving guidance from former teammates such as Bryce Cotton and Kadeem Batts, as well God Shammgod, Henton feels as though he is prepared to prove himself worthy of an NBA roster spot. In reference to his time spent with the Celtics, Henton said, “It was probably the toughest of my workouts thus far, as far as conditioning but it was also mentally and physically tough.”

Reflecting back on his career at PC, Henton labels the Big East Tournament win over Creighton as his lasting memory of his time spent on Smith Hill. Coming in as Ed Cooley’s first recruit after being name head coach at Providence, Cooley has praised the Michigan native from day one. In recent years, Cooley has gone as far as to say he is his favorite player he has ever coached. Describing what that means to him, Henton explained, “I think it’s because of where I come from. My background and all the adversity I had to fight through to make it where I am today. Certainly sharing the similar mindset about toughness and being appreciative of life and playing every game like it’s my last – I think is the reason he feels that way.”

Beginning his freshman year on campus, Cooley quickly nicknamed Henton a “Junkyard Dog” because of his tenacity and ability to clean up the glass while playing undersized amongst taller power forwards and centers. His 8.3 rebounds per game, ranked 7th in a then loaded Big East Conference, placing him ahead of players like UConn’s Andre Drummond, Marquette’s Jae Crowder and Georgetown’s Otto Porter Jr. All of whom currently make their living in the NBA.

To add to his freshman average of 8.6 boards a contest, Henton also chipped in a healthy 14.3 points a game. Three years later Henton would go on to average nearly 20 points a game and earn First Team Big East Honors for the first time.

While Henton continues to pursue a professional career in the NBA, under the guidance of agent Eric Fleisher (Also Tobias Harris’ agent), he can be often found honing his game in Alumni Hall. While doing so, Henton has been able to see the progress that returning players have made. Commenting on a relatively unknown Rodney Bullock, Henton said, “I think he is a guy who can score the basketball and he is one of those guys who can really thrive under Coach Cooley. He is an inside and out threat, he can play defense and he can rebound. He’s going to help out the team a lot.”

After referring to what type of player can succeed in Cooley’s system, Henton later remarked that it takes a multi-dimensional scorer who can put the ball on the floor, shoot from the outside and have a strong post presence. Henton also noted, “Toughness is big as well. You have to be tough, no matter what skill set you have to thrive under Coach Cooley.”

Feeling confident in the 2015-16 Friars, Henton also discussed the recent news of Paschal Chukwu’s intention to transfer from Providence College. Henton said candidly, “I mean I’ve talked to him a few times but at the end of the day he has to do what’s best for him. He didn’t feel comfortable here and he’s one of my brothers so I just want what’s best for him. If he felt like this wasn’t the best situation for him then so be it.”

No doubt PC will miss the services of the 7’2 big man but replacing the presence of LaDontae Henton may be an even tougher task next season. At second in scoring and fifth all time in rebounding, Henton will always be remembered as one of the Friar greats. What’s next for “Buckets” remains to be seen.

FriarBasketball.com will continue to track the progress of LaDontae Henton has a he pursues a professional opportunity and will have future updates as they develop. 

Email Craig – craig.belhumeur@friarbasketball.com
On Twitter – @Craig_Belhumeur

 

2 Comments

  1. John Thomas Nailor

    June 12, 2015 at 10:12 pm

    Has anyone heard anything on “Greedy” Peterson?

  2. Jeremy Nunes

    June 12, 2015 at 11:33 pm

    I’m sure he’s blowing away the competition somewhere…

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