#45 - Ricky Henderson

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cmndstab

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Re: Rookie Draftee - Ricky Henderson

ricky.jpg
 
Re: Rookie Draftee - Ricky Henderson

Hey guys,

Just letting you know a bit of info about Ricky seeing i played all of my juniors at North Ballarat with him.

For starters, he played 4 years before concentrating on basketball, so yes, he has played alot more than 5 games!!!

He won two best and fairests and a won the league goal kicking playing as a midfielder. His major attributes are his pace, endurance and vertical leap.

Kicked 10 goals playing on a wing in one game, so yes he can definitely play. Was kept under wraps that a couple of clubs were after him during the season, so well done.

Any more information PM me and ill let you know.
 

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Re: Rookie Draftee - Ricky Henderson

Rendell describes him as "20 years old but with the footballing body of an 18 year old". Apparently athletically he was very impressive and hasn't play in four years but still can play pretty well and has "loads and loads" of talent.

Source: http://www.afc.com.au/tabid/4417/Default.aspx?newsid=70896
 
Re: Rookie Draftee - Ricky Henderson

Article on afc website

Hoop dreams to rookie heaven

A SINGLE phone call midway through the year turned the life of new Adelaide rookie Ricky Henderson on its head.

Henderson, 20, was one of 64 NBL hopefuls to attend a basketball training camp in Melbourne this winter.

The guard earned starting-five honours after the week-long trial, but never received a call from any of the league’s teams.

Instead, it was Crows recruiting manager Matt Rendell who picked up the phone.

“A gentleman, who shall remain nameless, rang up and told us that we should go to a basketball training camp in Melbourne that was run over a week probably mid-year,” Rendell said, after Adelaide took Henderson with their first pick in Tuesday’s NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

“I sent [recruiter] Hamish Ogilvie over there to watch it. He watched it for a couple of days and came back with a list of five names he thought might be able to transfer to AFL footy or football, in general.

“He rang up the five and one of the five had played footy up until age 15 and that was Ricky Henderson. He hadn’t played for four years, so our plan of attack was to try and get him over here to train with us and have a bit of a run around to see how he looked.

“But he actually registered himself with Trentham in the Ballarat League. He played three games of footy, we sent three different recruiting people there and in the three games, he killed them.

“It was a pretty ordinary standard of footy, as you could imagine, so that’s why we decided to get him over here for a week and have a look at him in our training environment.”

The athletic lad from Ballarat wowed the Crows’ coaching and fitness staff with his results during his one-week stay.

“He tested up with our best midfielders for athletic prowess, in the vertical jump he was outstanding and he did a great beep [test],” Rendell said.

“All his general skills could use a bit of polish for a bloke who hasn’t played for four years, but when you look at him and think he hasn’t played for four years, his skills are outstanding really.

“It’s a little bit of a project and a punt, in a way, but that’s what the rookie draft should be about. He’s got loads and loads of talent and he’s a great kid, so that’s the most important thing.”

Henderson was one of three players picked up by Adelaide in the 2008 NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

Ex-Brisbane Lion and West Adelaide midfielder Chris Schmidt was offered a lifeline at pick number 26 and the Crows confirmed Irishman Brian Donnelly’s international rookie selection with pick number 55.

Rendell said the club had opted to pass with its third-round pick (number 41), because it was not interested in any other nominated players.

The Crows will now turn their attention to developing the new-look squad.

“Over the last two years we’ve picked up 21 players [in the drafts], so we’re talking half our team,” Rendell said.

“You can take Brad Moran out of that because he was 21, but the rest of them are 20 years of age and under.

“We’ve had a lot of players near retirement age and we had the oldest list in the league at the time, so that was always going to change over the next few years.

“When you look back at on it, the last two drafts I think have been pretty good drafts compared to maybe a few earlier, so it was probably good timing really to turn over those players.”
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http://afl.com.au/News/NEWSARTICLE/tabid/208/Default.aspx?newsId=70913
 
Re: Rookie Draftee - Ricky Henderson

http://afc.com.au/tabid/4417/Default.aspx?newsid=70977


HERE he is. The 20-year-old Adelaide plucked from relative obscurity with its first pick in Tuesday’s 2008 NAB AFL Rookie Draft.

The club’s decision to punt on basketball convert Ricky Henderson raised a few eyebrows around footballing circles and even more back in his hometown in country Victoria.

“It came as a massive surprise to a lot of my friends because I tried to keep it nice and quiet. They were all on the phone to me yesterday. It didn’t stop ringing really and not many of them knew it was me when it came up with ‘Ricky Henderson’ on the computer,” Henderson said on Wednesday.

“They were in massive shock. My mum nearly fell off the chair and so did I. It was all very exciting for the family.”

Just six months ago the point guard, who was playing for the Ballarat Miners in the SEABL, attended a week-long camp with the aim of impressing an NBL club.

So how did he end up on an AFL rookie list?

“I’m probably asking myself the same question, to be honest,” Henderson said with a laugh.

“The club saw me play a bit of basketball and thought I might be able to turn it into a bit of footy. I’ve played footy in the past, so I’m not a complete novice.

“I was at a basketball camp in Melbourne when he (Adelaide recruiter Hamish Ogilvie) came up to me and said, ‘have a few games of footy and we’ll come out and watch you’.

“I played a few games of footy towards the end of the year and here I am.”

Henderson, who played junior football for North Ballarat, gave up the sport to focus on basketball at age 15 and concedes he’d probably still be shooting hoops and pulling beers if not for Adelaide’s interest.

“If this didn’t happen I probably would’ve just stayed at home and played basketball. I might have looked at footy, but I didn’t really know what I was going to do,” he said.

“I just would’ve kept working my nine to five job. I was in hospitality working behind a bar, pulling beers in Ballarat … at the basketball stadium, ironically.

“The last six months have just been a hectic time in my life. It’s been a very exciting time and something I’ve really enjoyed.”

On Tuesday, Crows recruiting manager Matt Rendell compared Henderson to an 18-year-old draftee in terms of his development, but the skinny 190cm athlete wasn’t so sure.

“I trained over here for a week and made the transition very easily. I can kick a footy fine, I can do everything fine, so it’s just a matter of how well I fit into the SANFL and we’ll see from there,” Henderson said.

“I wasn’t big on the gym when I was back home with basketball and that kind of stuff, but I’m sure the guys here will do all the right things to get me in there and on the right training program. I’ll be as good as gold in a few months.

“I have no real expectations. I just want to work hard and do the best that I can, personally and just see what comes of it.”
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Like the confidence at the end there where he reckons he fit right in! :thumbsu:
 
Re: Rookie Draftee - Ricky Henderson

Apologies for the small screen... I could fix it, but too much effort for such a little piece.

[youtube]wTvqN9BNal0[/youtube]
 
Re: Rookie Draftee - Ricky Henderson

I've been trying to see if I could find any stats on the three games he played but it seems they don't record stats so religiously in the Maryborough Castlemaine DFL Seniors ;)

Here's the page for the exact Trentham side he was in: http://www.trenthamfc.vcfl.com.au/TeamStat.asp?Team=32145&Comp=6254&OrgID=368

He played in rounds 17, 18 and 20, and seems to have ended up with 10 goals for the three games. In round 20 he played in one of Trentham's four wins for the season (from 18 games and 2 byes - sadly two clubs did even worse than Trentham), though in round 17 he played in a 38.7 (235) to 7.7 (49) loss :eek:


Edit: There we go. 2 goals in round 17, 1 goal in round 18, 7 goals in round 20. Named in the best for all three games. According to a post earlier in the thread, he played on the wing.
 
Ballarat Miners point guard Ricky Henderson was a surprise selection at this year's AFL rookie draft when he was taken with pick 10 by the Adelaide Crows.

20-year-old Henderson hasn't played regular football since under 16s but the Crows were so impressed with his athletic ability, after spotting him at a National Basketball League (NBL) camp in July, that they invited him to train in Adelaide.

Henderson trained with the Crows for a week following the national draft and showed enough talent to suggest that Adelaide could turn the basketball point guard into an AFL footballer.

"He was a leading player in the South East Australia Basketball League (SEABL), he was ranked in the top five at the national youth camp (basketball)," says Ballarat Basketball CEO Peter Eddy.

"So his basketball opportunities were positive for the future, but this one's come first."

In recent times Nathan Brown (Collingwood), Mitch Brown (West Coast) and 2008 draftee Jordan Roughead (Western Bulldogs) were all talented Ballarat junior basketballers but choose the AFL path.

"The message we try and give a lot of our young guys is not to try and be a good all-rounder," says Eddy.

"We see a lot of kids try and play two or three sports right through their teenage years hoping to be picked up in one of them and often make the mistake of becoming a good all-rounder and not elite at any of them."

Henderson picked basketball when he was 15 but still found his way to the AFL.

Ricky Henderson
DOB: 11/09/1988
Height: 190cm
Weight: 82kg

http://blogs.abc.net.au/grandstand/2008/12/adelaide-pluck.html
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henderson.jpg
 
This article is good.

Trentham’s shock draftee

A BUDDING basketball star who reignited his football career late this year with Maryborough-Castlemaine District Football League club Trentham yesterday joined the Adelaide Crows.

Ricky Henderson was one of the surprise stories of yesterday’s AFL rookie draft after the Crows used their first pick - No.10 overall - to selected the 20-year-old.

Henderson was initially spotted by Adelaide recruiting staff at the National Basketball League Prospects Camp in Melbourne in July, where he impressed with his athletic ability.

“I saw Ricky going up and down the court playing basketball and I knew straight away that he was an outstanding athlete,” Crows’ eastern recruiting manager Hamish Ogilvie told The Advertiser.

“I did some follow up and asked if he had ever played football before.

“He said he had played in Ballarat until he was 16, but then turned to basketball.

“I told him that if he ever wanted to have a kick of the footy again that we would watch him play.

“I knew if this kid had played footy before, on his asceticism he would have some chance of making it because he’s a brilliant athlete.” Following his discussion with Ogilvie at the NBL camp, Henderson registered with MCDFL club Trentham, where he played three games late in the season.

“I sent one of our part-time recruiters up to have a look at him and the reports were good,” Ogilvie said. “The part-timers looked at him for a couple of games, and then I went and watched him in his third game.” The game Ogilvie went to watch was Trentham’s 23-point win over Campbells Creek in the final round on August 23.

And Ogilvie was certainly impressed with what he saw from the 190cm Henderson, who kicked seven goals in the first half.

“I know the standard isn’t great, but Ryan just picked it up like he had never stopped playing,” Ogilvie said.

“We saw enough in those three games for Trentham to know that Ricky had a chance.” Henderson, who spent the past week training with the Crows, played in the South East Australian Basketball League with the Ballarat Miners this year, where he averaged 15.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.

“Ricky knew it was always going to be a long shot and a bit of a punt, but once he got to Adelaide and trained so well and picked it up so quickly, we were more than happy to go with him today,” Ogilvie said.

“It’s going to be a good challenge for us in that we’re going to try to develop a kid from another sport who is an elite athlete to see if we can turn him into an AFL player.

“We’re sure with his attitude and character that he will give it his best shot.”

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/news/local/sport/general/trenthams-shock-draftee/1387881.aspx
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the rookie draft is the ideal draft to take a punt, the lad has confidence, he has the athletic attributes to play the game and I am happy he has gone to a successful sanfl club to develop his footy

I am looking forward to watching his progress, it may turn out to be a genius pick by the crows
 
Someone's going to have to jump on Ricky Henderson as 'my boi' soon

Some snippets from Centrals fans from the League game a week or 2 ago.

NFC, you are spot on regarding Henderson, IMHO he was by far our best player, runs hard with pace, carries through the lines. His disposal was slightly off but that can be worked on and will get better with game time. He looks like a gem and will definately push for a League spot.
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Bayman said:
i must admit i didn't get a list of the players name so can someone tell me who was the player that wore number 20 (for central) i thought he looked good
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Bayman, that was Adelaide Crows rookie listed player and basketball convert Ricky Henderson...

He did do a couple of nice things and despite being touted as a forward, I thought he looked very good as a running defender...
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http://www.safooty.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20990&sid=d34f8a8e441d584f042b4fab0e49f361&start=20
 
I've been stalking him since before we even drafted him :D I received a tip from a poster that will remain anonymous that we were looking to draft him back before his name even appeared in the papers.


Of course, I'm willing to share, Drumm ;)


Seriously though, along with Moss and Sloane, Henderson is one of the players I'm most disappointed to see injured. He strikes me as one of those project players who have enormous potential that could unfold right in front of us and is certainly a Neil Craig player (great athleticism, good versatility, good attitude) who could become anything.
 

  • Crows_Hendersongrab_KG_a.jpg


ADELAIDE’S Ricky Henderson was an unknown quantity when he was plucked from obscurity with pick No.10 in the 2008 NAB AFL Rookie Draft.
The point guard only resurrected a promising junior football career when the Crows expressed interest in his athletic prowess at a basketball talent camp last June.
Henderson, 20, dusted off the boots and played three games with Trentham in the Maryborough/Castlemaine Football League - taking his tally to three matches in four years - before impressing in a trial with Adelaide.
Henderson arrived at West Lakes in December with a question mark over his head.
But it hasn’t taken long for his basketball ability to translate into impressive performances on the football field.
Last weekend Henderson was rewarded for his solid form in the reserves with a league debut for SANFL powerhouse Central Districts and an AFL berth this year isn’t out of the question.
“I had a goal of achieving my league debut halfway through the year,” Henderson told afc.com.au. “Just playing in the reserves was a big step up. The SANFL was a step up again and another thing I had to adjust to.
“I was nervous going into the game, but I found it easier to settle as a forward because the ball comes towards you a lot better in the SANFL than it does in the reserves.”
Upon his arrival in Adelaide last year, Henderson said he was confident he could make the transition from basketballer and bartender to full-time footballer.
He says it has taken him “longer than expected” to get up to speed with AFL.
“When I first got there I was a bit of a novice, but it hasn’t been too bad,” he said.
“All the coaches have been great in helping me out, especially Jona [assistant coach Peter Jonas] who’s helped get my skills up to a level that’s going to be acceptable.
“I thought I was pretty fit, but I still don’t think I’m at an AFL level.”
Henderson has added seven kilograms to his wiry frame since being drafted by the Crows and has also wiped 30 seconds off his personal best 3km time trial time.
Henderson, who played both basketball and football from ages 10-16, is part of the defensive group at Adelaide, but has impressed as a lead-up forward.
The charismatic rookie boasts explosive speed, an excellent vertical leap and the exceptional ability to read the play common in most basketball coverts.
The Crows, under the AFL’s new rookie elevation rules, have the capacity to promote a rookie-listed player without placing a senior player on the long-term injury list at any stage in the last 10 rounds.
State representative Brodie Martin is leading the race but Henderson is closing in fast.
Henderson, who admits he’d still be pulling beers at a basketball stadium in Ballarat if not for being drafted, said he was still coming to grips with the unexpected turn his life has taken.
“I have to sit back and pinch myself every now and then,” he said.
“I had no idea I would be doing this a year down the track and it’s something that just amazes me every morning.
“I wake up in my room sometimes and forget where I am and what I’m doing here. It’s still pretty surreal.”


afc.com.au
 
From what I've heard, he is playing down back not up forward like he was playing with Central's firsts.

I think he is being a great contributor to them without being a standout.
Kinda like Young (Dont go hard Drummond, Im talking about Clinton not Will)
 
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