Junior guard Aiden Henderson injured his wrist last season for Brother Rice and needed surgery.
That took him out of action for a chunk of AAU season during a key time in the recruiting process, but there was one sliver of a silver lining.
“It’s definitely helped me to be grateful for basketball,” Henderson said. “I learned you can’t take anything for granted. I take every practice seriously and every workout seriously.”
And he also takes playing in the games seriously.
Henderson scored 15 points off the bench Wednesday night, sparking the Crusaders to a 66-58 win over Richards in a Class 4A Lincoln-Way Central Regional semifinal game in New Lenox.
While Henderson ended up making all six of his shots from the floor, Adam McBearty paced Brother Rice (22-10) with 21 points, including 11 in the second quarter, and added four rebounds.
Joe Niego also chipped in with 16 points for the Crusaders, making two 3-pointers during the third quarter. Henderson, however, stood out with his perfect shooting night in a reserve role.
“I feel like it’s finally my time,” Henderson said. “I felt good.”
Good enough for fourth-seeded Brother Rice to advance to a 6 p.m. Friday championship game against then sixth-seeded host Knights (20-10), who beat Stagg 58-45 in the other semifinal.
In defeat, Messiah Horton led Richards (17-14) with 23 points and seven rebounds. Travon Gourdine added 14 points.
Sophomore guard Reginald Johnson hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to pull the Bulldogs within 59-54 with 2:10 left, but the Crusaders withstood the surge.
Rick Romeli, meanwhile, is in his first year as Brother Rice’s head coach. He’s happy to see Henderson come into his own after playing catchup.
“When I got here in June, he was out,” Romeli said of Henderson. “He was sidelined, and we weren’t sure for how long and what that rehab would look like.
“He gave us the good news that he would be back in September, so we were able to get him into the Homewood-Flossmoor fall league. But he was a little bit behind.”
The 5-foot-11 Henderson can make up some ground during the high school live period as well as AAU after that. And playing well during the postseason won’t hurt.
“If we make a run here and he plays in June and July, his name should start to be known by college coaches at that point,” Romeli said of Henderson. “He’s a competitor.
“He has an edge to him, and he has all of the athleticism in the world to be one of the better defenders in the Catholic League. Offensively, he’s one of our more naturally gifted guys.”
Last season, Brother Rice finished second in the state in Class 3A, but the key players from that team are gone.
“We’re a new team,” McBearty said. “We have to make a name for ourselves. I think we’ll continue to win and we will have our own name and not be in the shadow of last year.”
At the same, Henderson is also trying to make a name for himself.
His older brother, Ahmad, was a star at Brother Rice with a flair for the dramatic. He won quite a few games with buzzer-beating baskets. He’s now the starting point guard at Illinois-Chicago.
“He definitely helps me during the offseason every year,” Aiden said of Ahmad. “It’s definitely made me a better player. I’ve been able to beat him a couple of times one-on-one.
“There is definitely trash-talking.”
And there is some learning as well.
“I learned to try to be poised with the ball,” Aiden said. “I work on my ball-handling and I try to shoot like him. He teaches me about knowing what the defense is going to do.
“It’s great to be able to play against him.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
