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Ohio State women’s basketball 2023-24 player preview: Kaia Henderson
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Finishing up the Buckeye guards with the New York native
Up next in a series previewing every player on the 15-athlete Ohio State women’s basketball roster is guard Kaia Henderson. The final guard to get previewed at the start of the season, Henderson has the ability to make an impact, but people didn’t get to see a lot of it in the Upstate New Yorker’s freshman season.
Name: Kaia Henderson
Position: Guard
Class: Sophomore
High School: New Hartford High School (New Hartford, New York)
2022-23 Stats: 1.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.2 apg, .333 FG%, .286 3FG%, 1.000 FT%
Judging by the statistics from last season, Henderson didn’t see much of the court during the 22-23 season. In 13 appearances, the guard averaged 3.3 minutes per game. The most was six minutes against New Hampshire during a stretch of early season games against smaller non-conference opponents.
Regardless of the athlete, it’s difficult to make an impact or make an assessment of a player’s year with that few minutes. Inside the conference, Henderson made appearances but they each came late in games where the result was already decided.
Only twice was Henderson in a game long enough to register more than one shot attempt.
The guard has the ability to be an impact playmaker. At 5-foot-5, the smaller guard still gets to the basket and finds ways to score. So much so that in high school Henderson ended her amateur career in good company.
After three years, Henderson ended her time at New Hartford High School amassing 2,284 points scored. A school record and best for third in New York Division III history. The same division that current WNBA MVP Brenna Stewart played in at Cicero North Syracuse High School, less than an hour from Henderson’s stomping grounds.
Henderson also defends, being a pest to opposing players. The guard anticipates plays and forces errors similar to starting guard Jacy Sheldon.
Guard is a hard position to breakthrough for the scarlet and gray. Next to Sheldon is transfer guard Celeste Taylor. Next to them in guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry. Then on the bench it gets more difficult for Henderson to get chosen for minutes over redshirt senior and team leaders in Rikki Harris and Madison Greene.
With that said though, most of those names will be gone after this season. For head coach Kevin McGuff, he has a decision to make on how many game minutes Henderson and others in her shoes get while still staying competitive.
That likely means the most minutes Henderson gets will be against those smaller mid-conference schools. Seeing Henderson get a large chunk of minutes is only going to likely happen if injuries become a concern for Ohio State, but hopefully Henderson sticks it out to make a claim for a future guard role.
Following last season, three of Henderson’s teammates left in the transfer portal. Likely due to minimal minutes received. The New York guard had an argument herself but is sticking it out in scarlet and gray. That could be rewarded if the time is right.
See Henderson take over in the Buckeyes’ trip to Brazil in August. The guard causes issues on defense, gets steals and has inside and outside shooting range. Also a great video to get a feel for Ohio State’s trip to South America.
Miss a player preview? Here’s who you can read about so far:
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Finishing up the Buckeye guards with the New York native
Up next in a series previewing every player on the 15-athlete Ohio State women’s basketball roster is guard Kaia Henderson. The final guard to get previewed at the start of the season, Henderson has the ability to make an impact, but people didn’t get to see a lot of it in the Upstate New Yorker’s freshman season.
Name: Kaia Henderson
Position: Guard
Class: Sophomore
High School: New Hartford High School (New Hartford, New York)
2022-23 Stats: 1.0 ppg, 0.3 rpg, 0.2 apg, .333 FG%, .286 3FG%, 1.000 FT%
Last Season
Judging by the statistics from last season, Henderson didn’t see much of the court during the 22-23 season. In 13 appearances, the guard averaged 3.3 minutes per game. The most was six minutes against New Hampshire during a stretch of early season games against smaller non-conference opponents.
Regardless of the athlete, it’s difficult to make an impact or make an assessment of a player’s year with that few minutes. Inside the conference, Henderson made appearances but they each came late in games where the result was already decided.
Only twice was Henderson in a game long enough to register more than one shot attempt.
What to Expect
The guard has the ability to be an impact playmaker. At 5-foot-5, the smaller guard still gets to the basket and finds ways to score. So much so that in high school Henderson ended her amateur career in good company.
After three years, Henderson ended her time at New Hartford High School amassing 2,284 points scored. A school record and best for third in New York Division III history. The same division that current WNBA MVP Brenna Stewart played in at Cicero North Syracuse High School, less than an hour from Henderson’s stomping grounds.
Henderson also defends, being a pest to opposing players. The guard anticipates plays and forces errors similar to starting guard Jacy Sheldon.
Prediction
Guard is a hard position to breakthrough for the scarlet and gray. Next to Sheldon is transfer guard Celeste Taylor. Next to them in guard/forward hybrid Taylor Thierry. Then on the bench it gets more difficult for Henderson to get chosen for minutes over redshirt senior and team leaders in Rikki Harris and Madison Greene.
With that said though, most of those names will be gone after this season. For head coach Kevin McGuff, he has a decision to make on how many game minutes Henderson and others in her shoes get while still staying competitive.
That likely means the most minutes Henderson gets will be against those smaller mid-conference schools. Seeing Henderson get a large chunk of minutes is only going to likely happen if injuries become a concern for Ohio State, but hopefully Henderson sticks it out to make a claim for a future guard role.
Following last season, three of Henderson’s teammates left in the transfer portal. Likely due to minimal minutes received. The New York guard had an argument herself but is sticking it out in scarlet and gray. That could be rewarded if the time is right.
Highlights
See Henderson take over in the Buckeyes’ trip to Brazil in August. The guard causes issues on defense, gets steals and has inside and outside shooting range. Also a great video to get a feel for Ohio State’s trip to South America.
Miss a player preview? Here’s who you can read about so far:
- Jacy Sheldon
- Rebeka Mikulášiková
- Diana Collins
- Taiyier Parks
- Rikki Harris
- Taylor Thierry
- Kennedy Cambridge
- Faith Carson
- Madison Greene
- Celeste Taylor
- Emma Shumate
Continue reading...