Five-star freshman Shelton Henderson appears to be coming of age, and that’s great news for the Miami Hurricanes.
Miami (10-2) will be looking for its sixth straight win on Sunday afternoon when the Hurricanes play host to the North Florida Ospreys (2-9) in Coral Gables.
Henderson is coming off a career-high 30-point game in Miami’s 98-81 win over cross-town rival Florida International University on Tuesday.
A physically-mature, 6-foot-6, 240-pound forward, Henderson is averaging 13.2 points, and he’s shooting 64.0% on two-point attempts. However, he’s shooting just 27.3% on 3-pointers and 58.3% on free throws.
“That’s the main thing, being versatile,” Henderson said when asked about his game. “That includes playmaking, getting downhill and (defending).”
Miami’s other starters are Malik Reneau (20.5 scoring average); Tre Donaldson (14.8 points, 6.8 assists); Tru Washington (13.9 points, 2.5 steals); and Ernest Udeh Jr. (7.4 points, team-high 9.4 rebounds).
But the Hurricanes’ bench took a hit this week — both physically and emotionally — when it was announced that guard Marcus Allen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Allen has begun chemotherapy and will miss the rest of the season.
Meanwhile, the Ospreys are 0-6 on the road. They have also taken some massive beatings so far this season, losing by 33 to Tennessee, 40 to Florida and 51 to Gonzaga.
North Florida’s only wins have come against Trinity College of Jacksonville, which belongs to the National Christian College Athletic Association; and New College of Florida, an NAIA school.
The Ospreys are led by 6-3 senior guard Kamrin Oriol, who tops the team in scoring (17.5) and assists (3.7). He was North Florida’s sixth man last season, averaging 7.3 points.
The Ospreys have never defeated Miami, going 0-7 against the Hurricanes. In their most recent matchup, Miami beat North Florida 95-55 on Dec. 29, 2023.
The Ospreys, predicted to finish in eighth place this season in the Atlantic Sun Conference, graduated their entire starting lineup from 2024-25. In addition, longtime coach Matthew Driscoll left to become an assistant coach at Kansas State.
North Florida’s new coach is Bobby Kennen, who had zero prior experience as a college head coach after success at the high school level in Florida. However, he had been on Driscoll’s staff since 2009.
“We have a young team this season,” Kennen said. “We have four true freshmen and two redshirt freshmen.”
–Field Level Media
