If you’ve been a regular at FedExForum this winter, you know some of the biggest cheers heard at Tiger games are those for buckets scored by Memphis senior Pierre Henderson-Niles. A converted layup. A made free throw. The crowd ROARS in appreciation.
The sad truth, though, is that the converted baskets were applauded because there were considered rarities by those familiar with watching Henderson-Niles play.
- Larry Kuzniewski
- Pierre Henderson-Niles
The big center was dismissed from the team Monday night with merely eight regular-season games remaining in his college career. Coach Josh Pastner released a formal statement that didn’t specify any rules violation or legal issues. Which leads one to assume this was a matter of friction over Henderson-Niles’ declining role on the team. “Moving forward, we will do all we can for Pierre as he finishes up the academic work toward completing his degree,” Pastner said in the statement. “We wish Pierre nothing but the best.”
Ironically, no Tiger player benefited more from John Calipari’s departure than did Henderson-Niles. Had Calipari remained in Memphis — and brought DeMarcus Cousins with him — Henderson-Niles would have been planted on the bench, likely a third-string center who would average no more than the 12 minutes of playing time he did as a junior.
But when Calipari took his 2009 recruiting class with him to Kentucky, a slot opened up that led to the Ridgeway alum starting 16 of the Tigers’ first 23 games. Having lost nearly 70 pounds last summer — after having Calipari in his ear about weight for three years — Henderson-Niles ran the floor better, and with more stamina, than he had since childhood. (He confessed to me in November that the hardest part wasn’t losing the weight, but keeping it off.)
