Shelton Henderson of Bellaire
SHELTON HENDERSON IS REPRESENTING HOUSTON MUCH LIKE TJ FORD, DANIEL EWING, DE’AARON FOX, JUSTISE WINSLOW, THE HARRISON TWINS, JARRED VANDERBILT AND QUENTIN GRIMES DID BEFORE HIM.
The aforementioned were all kingpins of Hoopston.
Now, it’s his turn as he holds Bellaire’s dreams in the palm of his hand.
“I remember my first varsity game as a freshman here and all the jitters I had,” he said. “Now, I’m the leader. The time has gone by so fast.”
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The national 5-star recruit recently committed to Duke, similar to how Ewing and Winslow did previuosly.
“Honestly, it’s Duke at the end of the day,” he said. “It’s that place where every kid dreams of going when they are young. I was looking for a place with a staff that is going to really push me to be great on and off the court. I think Coach (Jon) Scheyer and his staff will get me prepared.”
Before he heads to hoop heaven, Henderson has some unfinished business.
“I know I could have left to play at a prep school anywhere in the country,” he said. “I wanted to stay home and play with the guys I’ve grown up with for so long. I want to bring a State Championship to the HISD and Bellaire.”
Basketball has taken him outside of the confines of Harris County, most recently this summer.
“I was selected to play for Team USA in Argentina,” he said. “It was a life-changing experience. I met and played with so many cool people and we brought home the gold. Everyone says it, but it is special wearing the USA across your chest.”
The laid-back floor general has a chill persona... off the court.
“Everyone really knows each other when you get to this level of AAU and varsity basketball,” he laughed. “These are all my best friends, but when the game starts and we
are between the lines, that all goes away. I’m trying to win... trying to kill. After the game, we are right back to being cool.”
If he brings home the gold this winter, Henderson will be etched in the city’s Mt. Rushmore of basketball... just the next great ambassador of Houston.
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DOWN TO THE WIRE: Previewing a critical UIL VB State Semis matchup -- Bellville vs. Davenport
Let's just get right into it.
On one of the court, you have the Bellville Brahmas who are enjoying one of the most exemplary seasons they've seen in recent years, from a statistical stand-point -- currently touting a record of 43-5.
Coach Susan Brewer's squad is no stranger to this stage, given that they reached this point in 2022, before falling to eventual State Runner-Up Aubrey.
However, the Brahmanettes have displayed nothing less than sheer dominance throughout this postseason, as they have swept each opponent (FB Willowridge, Burnet, Livingston, and most recently Hargrave) up to this point.
In terms of star-power, take your pick between the likes of Bailey Scheerer (Jr. MB), Sydney McKay (High Point-signee), Rebecca Lucksinger (Jr. MB), Emmy Novicke (Sr. L), and Samantha Marik (Sr. OH).
Bellville is the traditional power in this match-up, having made State appearances in three of the last four years. But, they will have the ambition of claiming the program's first state title since 2005, when they were still in Class 3A.
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However, the new power has unquestionably been that of Davenport.
The reigning UIL-4A Champions picked up right where they left off last year, ranking among the top teams to come out of the San Antonio-area.
Similar to their opponent, the Wolves have been just as commanding entering the State Semis.
They have toppled Eastside EC (3-0), La Vernia (3-0), Calhoun (3-0), and Floresville (3-1) over the course of the past two weeks to make their way back to the Final-Four, improving their record to 39-8 in 2024.
Coach Taylour Toso's rotation has spread the wealth when it comes to overall stats.
In the offensive department, Emily Williams (311 kills) and McKaleigh Mattson (306 kills) run the table.
But if I were to pick an MVP for the team, it would be Alexis Dahl. As it stands, the junior setter has been all over the place, having registered 725 assists, 442 digs, and 267 kills on the year, making her a jack of all trades for Davenport.
Furthermore, Logan Strong (794 digs, 584 receptions), Dakota Hart (339 digs), and freshman Kylie Dahl (259 assists) round out what could be the most balanced crew in the state.
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There's no room for error at this stage, and fans should be in for a show when these two power-programs face off Tuesday night (6:00 pm) at the Austin Burger Center in Sunset Valley, TX.
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The stars of 2024-25 Second Baptist Girls Basketball
2 — SECOND BAPTIST EAGLES
The Eagles rolled all the way to the TAPPS-5A title game in 2024 – marking the eighth appearance in program history – where they ultimately finished as the State Runner-Up with a final record of 29-10.
In H-Town private school girls hoops, SBS is the gold standard, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. John “CH” Herndon enters year seven leading this program (153-51) and returns one starter to the squad.
Herndon will lean on the leadership of first-team, all-state selection Grace Wehring (14 ppg, 4 rpg, 3.4 spg, 2.7 apg), as well as Eloise Tackett (So. G) and Casey Krueger, to keep the tradition alive.
The Eagles will eye a seventh-straight trip to the postseason in 2025, while placing an emphasis on building the younger players up in the process.
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