KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Marshall Henderson spent Friday receiving tweets from LeBron James. Yesterday, he spoke with Charles Barkley.
Ole Miss’ polarizing player has stolen college basketball’s spotlight, intriguing and irritating the nation, while bringing personality and unpredictability to an all too often bland and politically correct atmosphere.
Though the SEC’s leading-scorer nearly shot the 12th-seeded Rebels out of the NCAA Tournament in Friday’s West Region win over Wisconsin, opening 1-of-13 from the field, he carried his team to its first tournament win in 12 years after scoring 17 of the team’s final 27 points.
But heading into tonight’s third-round game at the Sprint Center, La Salle guard Tyrone Garland was familiar with the player on film, not the phenomenon.
“We just can’t let, I forget the kid’s name, 22, um, Henderson, is that his name?,” Garland asked. “Yeah, we can’t let him go off.”
Henderson is enjoying every minute of this opportunity and is anxious for another chance to light up the scoreboard. First, he ignited the Internet after celebrating the Rebels’ upset win with hundreds of fans at a bar across the street from the arena. What followed was another day surrounded by dozens of reporters who spent dozens of minutes learning every biographical detail he makes available.
His favorite NBA player is Jamal Crawford. He sees no difference between a good shot and a bad shot. He wants to open a drug rehabilitation center when he’s done playing basketball, though realizes his party persona could be seen as a double-standard. He expects to return for his senior season at Ole Miss, but wouldn’t commit definitively.
The hype is high, but hasn’t nearly hit the heights it would reach if Henderson can take the Rebels (27-8) to the Sweet 16 in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been telling myself, we’ve got to get to the Staples Center,” Henderson said. “Of course my teammates want Kobe [Bryant] there, but I want Jamal.”
The 13th-seeded Explorers (23-9) will be looking to advance to their first Sweet 16 since going to the title game in 1955, but will be playing their third game in five days in two cities. Though Henderson felt Wisconsin was overrated when watching tape, the 6-foot-2 guard was impressed watching La Salle on Friday and was excited about the teams’ similar styles resulting in a high-scoring affair.
Henderson made no guarantees about the game, but admitted he has already looked ahead on the Rebels’ side of the bracket.
“I like that it’s their third game in five days, so that’s going to be tough on them with the way they play and the way we play,” he said. “When we saw our matchups in our region, we’re riding really high right now because we like the matchups we’re gettingWe might as well be the 12-seed that always makes a run.”