Henderson Growing Physically and Mentally for Mountaineers - WVU Football, WVU Basketball, News - Mountaineer Sports

Just north of campus, West Virginia University's freshmen basketball players are getting their first taste of the college game.

For Terry Henderson, the competition at the Pittsburgh Summer League has not presented near the difficulty that his time inside his team's practice facility has given him.

"The weight room was my welcome to college moment, my first day in there," says Henderson, a Raleigh, N.C. native. "My first practice was a welcome to college moment just to get up to speed with everybody and learn the plays, start getting used to the college transition."

Access to the facility at any time of the day is something the 6-foot-5, 180-pound guard is using to his advantage, whether it is for weight lifting or treatment or open gym sessions.

He admits that in high school he was not afforded the opportunity to get in significant time with weights and because of that, his introduction to strength coach Andy Kettler was an eye-opening experience. In just a short time in Morgantown this summer, he says he has already packed on 10 or 11 pounds to his frame.

Aside from the initial shock of the changes his body would endure, Henderson feels like the transition to a new level both on the court and in the classroom has been a smooth one.

"I'm feeling very comfortable. I love it here," he says. "This is why I chose to come here. The players are great, the community is great, I'm doing well in my classes so far."

Henderson joins some of his other teammates not only on the practice courts next door to the WVU Coliseum, but also at the Greentree Sportsplex, where he competes in recent weeks for the Oliverio's Peppers team.

Alongside him are fellow Mountaineers Jabarie Hinds and Matt Humphrey, each with college experience and each with plenty to teach the incoming freshman.

"Everybody on the team is mentor, but just learning from Jabarie, he's a really experienced point guard. I love playing with him," Henderson says. "He plays with great energy and gives the team energy. I'm just trying to pick his brain and find out new things from him."

Hinds has been taking it upon himself to up his own scoring through the games in Pittsburgh to an extent that he was never asked to in his freshman season.

Henderson is a player who will be asked to do just that immediately when he is inserted into the lineup this fall and is showing a real ability to connect from the perimeter.

In a league such as this, isolation basketball rules. There are no set plays or complicated defenses. For the most part, it is one player against one player and eight others just happen to be on the court.

Because of that, Henderson believes the most he can learn through this play in June and July is about himself personally more than the college game or the athletes he will face. He can learn to move better individually and to set up his own shot.

Plus, he does not intend to let anyone beat him, regardless of whether it's a small summer league or Big 12 conference play.

"I hate to lose, I'll do anything to win. Coach [Bob Huggins] knows that, players know that," says Henderson. "I knock down shots. That's what I'm here for, to be an all-around player and help West Virginia win a national championship."

Henderson says going up against the likes of Hinds and Juwan Staten – who he calls the fastest players on the east coast – will prepare him nicely for year one at WVU.

He wants to make splash and contribute right off the bat, and the work has already begun to accomplish his goals for the Mountaineers.