July 6, 2009
Where are they now?
Sometimes, best laid plans play out as fruitfully as imagined. Then again, sometimes not. But in basketball, as also in life, there are plenty of notable second acts. Here’s a potpourri of former prepsters both trying out new wings and being fitted for a second set.
Bo Henning
Remember Bo Henning pouring in all those points -- 24 per game as a senior and 27.5 as a junior -- and displaying savviness in the backcourt for Christian Brothers High? He signed with Cal Poly and Coach Kevin Bromley and redshirted his freshman year. But the 2008-2009 season ended with a 7-21 (3-13 in the Big West) Mustang record and Bromley was let go. Seattle University’s Joe Callero was hired in early April to turn the men’s basketball fortunes around. That meant roster changes, ‘my’ players in exchange for ‘his’ signees.
"It just wasn’t a good fit the whole time," Henning offered. After his redshirt season, Henning played in 17 games this year, averaging just under 10 minutes a contest. "I broke my toe during the season and missed the last 12 games," he added. "I tried to play but just wasn’t 100%, my foot was hurting. I finally had a cast put on and just recently got out of it."
The plan is for Henning to attend a community college come late August -- which one is still to be decided -- and then re-enter the recruiting waters. NCAA D-I regulations require that Henning earn his A.A. degree and right now he’s just four or five classes short.
"I just want to be where I can play and contribute so my focus is on looking forward," Henning said. "I’m ready for a new challenge."
Besides Cal Poly, among Henning’s previous suitors were Boise State, St. Mary’s, Pacific and Sacramento State. Let’s see who joins the hunt this time. We already have a strategic media campaign in mind for the athletic department of whichever school lands Henning. It begins with "Bo knows basketball..."
So Henning has departed San Luis Obispo but Drake Uu is incoming.
"I committed to Cal Poly last Friday," Uu said this week. "Coach Callero is a good guy and I’ll be heading there in August." Uu returned to the Sacramento area this summer after playing his freshman season at Hartford and now he’ll redshirt in 2009-2010. Uu will be seeing some familiar faces when he arrives as Kyle Odister, also formerly of Rio Americano High, is headed to San Luis Obispo as a freshman and Justin Brown, out of Salesian High, returns as a sophomore.
6-foot-2 Chris Head is headed next school year to Norfolk State as a preferred walk-on. After aiding his St. Mary’s squad to a 28-6 overall record, he was contacted by the Norfolk coaching staff and decided Virginia was the place for him to be. Norfolk State went 13-18 last season, 9-7 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, losing in tournament championship game to Morgan State which advanced to the Big Dance. Here’s a coincidence of coincidences. Norfolk’s assistant coach Robert Jones formely headed the basketball program at St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, N.Y.
Matt Busch, out of Merritt College and San Leandro High will be playing at Regis University in Denver next season. What makes this all the more interesting is that 6-foot-6 Chris Busch, also out of Merritt and San Leandro, will be at Colorado State University Pueblo, also a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Get ready for the Matt and Chris Busch battle.
Hayward High’s Davion Berry is leaving behind his Farmer identity and becoming a Otter as he is headed to CSU Monterey Bay. Hayward went 21-9 last season, finishing the season with a 50-49 heartbreaking road loss to Rocklin and the 6-foot-3 Berry aided in accomplishing that stellar record.
Per Rob Bishop, the Otter head coach, "He is a taller guard who can score in a variety of different ways and has point guard skills as well as the ability to shoot the ball from long range. One of the things I really like about Davion is his ability to create his own shot which is a skill that will greatly benefit our team."
Division II CSU Monterey Bay won 16 games last season and plays oin the California Collegiate Athletic Association.
Berry, who led the Hayward Area Athletic League in scoring as a junior and was named the co-MVP, will join center Sean Jergo, formerly of Placer High and Shasta College, plus forward Derrick Anderson out of Pittsburgh High.
Former Cardinal Newman ‘big’ Matt Cousins has been lured to the islands, having signed with Chaminade after a freshman season at Santa Rosa Junior College where he averaged 14.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a contest. The 6-foot-8 Cousins will have three years of athletic eligibility remaining. A member of the Pac West Conference, Chaminade is the D-2 school still remembered for beating Virginia and Ralph Sampson back in 1982.
Speaking of Chaminade, Zach Johnson, formerly of Natomas High and the University of Washington, is also on the Silversword roster. Recurring knee injuries have hampered the 6-foot-8 banger since his senior season in high school. Johnson saw action in 16 games, averaging seven minutes a contest last season.