Athlete of the week: Senior steps into leadership role

When senior guard Alex Henderson arrived at Truman, there were no clear indications of how he would fare in the world of college basketball.

"I always knew I could compete at this level," Henderson said. "But when you first get there as a freshman, you're a bit smaller than you're used to, or not as strong or as quick or whatever the case may be."

Four years later, Henderson is quite capable of competing in Div. II basketball. The latest indicator came during a 80-68 victory against Southwest Baptist University last Saturday, when the Bulldog senior scored 22 points and Henderson was 13-for-14 from the free-throw line. In the process, Henderson made his 239th free throw, making him 10th all-time in Truman history.

"[Southwest Baptist] really went into desperation mode in the second half, especially the last seven or eight minutes," head coach Jack Schrader said. "And [Henderson] was the beneficiary because he's the ball handler. So he got to the line a lot."

Henderson said his main goal this season is to be more aggressive on the court. He's averaging a career-high 14.7 points and is shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line.

"I think our team's needing me to score this year to try and win games," Henderson said. "That's not always the case, but I feel like that's the way I can help the team win, obviously."

Schrader said Henderson's efforts are paying off. Truman has six wins this season with seven games remaining. The Bulldogs won only 16 games during Henderson's first three years.

"He's had a good season, statistically and on the court," Schrader said. "He's done everything we asked. He has never stopped trying to improve himself since he's been here. He's become a much stronger, better athlete, and he still is one of those guys who will come in and shoot outside of practice time."

Henderson leads the Bulldogs in scoring this year with 280 points and has been the leading scorer in nine games, including four where he scored more than 20 points. Fellow senior forward Ethan Freeman is next with 214 points.

Schrader said he also was impressed with the intangibles Henderson brings to the court.    

"I think that in order to lead you must first be respected and have credibility, and I think he does," Schrader said. "You can't have credibility if you're self-serving. I think it's easy in today's culture to be impressive rather than influence. I think Alex influences. I think it's also easier to be a prominent player as opposed to a significant player. I think Alex is significant. So you put those two together and I think that's where the genuineness comes in. Influence as opposed to impressive, significant as opposed to being prominent."

Henderson said his confidence to play MIAA basketball has only increased during his time at Truman, and Schrader said he agreed.

"I think Alex epitomizes how we can become successful," Schrader said. "We recruit high school players, they come in, they work hard and they get better. And that's how we are successful."