Back in November, we wrote about the high expectations surrounding Gerald Henderson (who reportedly has a 41-inch vertical leap).
Henderson insisted several months ago that in game situations, his wrist was “perfectly fine” after he injured it last year against North Carolina, aggravated it in the ACC Tournament and had it operated on in the postseason. But it has only been in the last month or so that he seems to have flipped the mental switch allowing him to fully utilize his athletic ability, and only in the last four games has Henderson exhibited his tantalizing potential to devastate opposing teams and utterly take over a game. Through those four games, Henderson is averaging 22 points and 5.8 rebounds.
What accounts for the seemingly abrupt shift? Mike Krzyzewski doesn’t have an answer, either, but he thinks the problem may have been psychological rather than physical. He recounted the following conversation he had with Henderson earlier in the year:
Krzyzewski: “Which hand is it [that you hurt]?”
Henderson: “Well, my right hand.”
Krzyzewski: “And which hand do you block shots with?”
Henderson: “My right hand.”
Krzyzewski: “I don’t think you think about it on defense. You trust it defensively. You need to trust it offensively.”
After that narrative, Krzyzewski paused, grinning. “Whatever it was," he said, "I don’t think I’m going to talk to him any more.”
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