Doug Benc
OKLAHOMA CITY | Top prospect Xavier Henry said this morning during a press conference at his high school that he would play basketball at Kansas.
The oral commitment from Xavier Henry, the No. 8 overall player in the Class of 2009 according to Rivals.com (No. 3 shooting guard), puts the Jayhawks at the NCAA maximum of 13 scholarships. Henry would appear to be the perfect last piece of the puzzle for a team that already figured to be ranked No. 1 to begin the 2009-10 season. A 6-foot-6 sharpshooter, Henry likely would jump into the No. 3 slot formerly filled by Brandon Rush.
Henry's brother, point guard C.J. Henry, who sat out last season at Memphis, would come to KU as a walk-on because his three years playing professional baseball in the New York Yankees system prohibits him from receiving a scholarship. But, as a part of his contract with the Yankees, the franchise will pay for C.J.’s education.
The parents of the Henry brothers, Carl and Barbara, both played basketball at Kansas. C.J. chose to play for John Calipari at Memphis last August. Xavier, in an effort to keep his family together, chose Memphis as well in November.
But Calipari’s decision this month to leave Memphis for Kentucky led the Henrys to reopen their recruitment. After a rumor-filled three weeks, they decided not to visit Kentucky.
It is not yet determined whether C.J. Henry will be eligible to play next season after spending a year in the Memphis program. He took a medical hardship year.
Xavier Henry averaged 28.3 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from 3-point range last season in leading Putnam City High School to the state title in the class that features Oklahoma's largest schools. Putnam City also won the Class 6A title in Henry's freshman year.