“It’s still hectic, people are still living in the moment, and everyone is ecstatic, especially those returning to school,” Henderson said Friday. “It’s wonderful to come back on campus and to sense everyone’s support for our team and what we’ve done.” Henderson will not be in Columbia, South Carolina, as she is one of only 12 players invited to the WNBA Draft in New York City on Monday night (7 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Gamecocks’ point guard was not invited in the initial round of invitees, and her mother Joyel James phoned her Wednesday to inquire about her status. Someone must have listened. “I was genuinely cleaning my house,” Henderson explained.
“I’m simply preparing myself for the fact that I will graduate and leave at some time. And (the WNBA) phoned me, which is insane. My mother contacted me around 30 minutes before they called me. She was aware of another player’s invitation. ‘Did you happen to hear anything?’ They made no attempt to contact me. I was simply maintaining an optimistic attitude. If something occurs, it occurs. They eventually called me thirty minutes later.” The invitation came three days after Henderson put on a show. She scored a career-high 26 points against UConn, including three 3-pointers in the first half and six clutch points in the Huskies’ fourth-quarter comeback. She also played well defensively against All-American Paige Bueckers, limiting her to 14 points in the first half and only five in the second.
