Three-star prep point guard Troy Henderson officially signed with Tennessee basketball on Wednesday, a month after committing to Rick Barnes and his staff.
Henderson originally signed with Fordham in the fall but received a release from his NLI after the Rams fired head coach Keith Urgo. The 6-foot-1 point guard visited Tennessee shortly after backing off his commitment to Fordham and committed to Rick Barnes and his staff on his visit.
“Our staff is excited for Troy and his family to join the Tennessee basketball program,” Barnes said in a statement. “He is a pass-first point guard with a great deal of toughness, both physically and mentally. Troy can really facilitate and is a three-level scorer with range on his jumper. He possesses a lot of the leadership qualities we look for in a point guard, which will help him at this level. Troy comes from a winning tradition in both high school and AAU ball, and has received excellent coaching throughout his life.”
Henderson ranks as a three-star recruit and the No. 26 point guard in the country according to the 247sports rankings. After backing off his commitment from Fordham, Henderson also received interest from Seton Hall, VCU, Loyola Chicago and Duquesne.
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Tennessee was aware of and liked Henderson back in the summer. Rick Barnes’ staff had watched Henderson frequently over the summer because he was the point guard on five-star target Nate Ament’s AAU team.
Henderson is a traditional pass first point guard who also shoots the ball well. His size and athleticism aren’t overwhelming but his consistent production and feel for the game impressed Tennessee’s coaching staff over the summer.
“My strength is my ability to lead a team. I’m a dawg,” Henderson told RTI following his commitment. “I take pride in defense. I can get my teammates involved. Other high level talent likes playing with me because I can get them involved. Get them in their sweet spots. I’m just a dawg.”
Tennessee loses star point guard Zakai Zeigler to graduation this offseason and added Maryland transfer point guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie to replace him. Henderson is a multi-year developmental piece but he’ll try and earn backup point guard minutes in his freshman season.
