Jai Lucas has been working hard this offseason, and now he has made his biggest splash of the recruiting cycle so far. Shelton Henderson, the nation’s second-best small forward, according to 247Sports, has flipped to the Hurricanes after suddenly decommitting from Duke last Thursday.
The Texas native chose the ‘Canes over both Texas and Texas A&M, among other schools. Henderson signed his letter of intent in November to Duke after being recruited by Jai Lucas, who also attended Bellaire High School in Texas. Now he’ll follow him to Miami.
Henderson, the best player from the Longhorn State, has all the physical tools to be an elite player at the next level. 247Sports Director of Scouting Adam Finkelstein had this to say in a July 2024 evaluation of Henderson:
“He plays an attacking style, getting downhill, absorbing contact on his way to the rim, and maintaining the line of his drive through congestion. He’s so physically imposing that he doesn’t always get enough credit for his feel for the game…can really change the game on the defensive end of the floor where his length, physicality, and motor are all major assets.”
Though not a great shooter, he does fit the bill of most of Lucas’ class. Leading with strong effort, physicality and defense, he’ll fit right in both stylistically and culturally for Lucas’ program.
It has been an eventful offseason for Lucas, who has been at work to transform this roster undergoing a lot of turnover. Between underclassmen like Jalil Bethea transferring out after a disappointing year and losing their entire high school recruiting class following the departure of Jim Larrañaga, the future of the program looked murky. Now, with Jai Lucas at the helm, Miami now boasts a top-20 recruiting class, according to 247Sports.