Mississippi guard Marshall Henderson (22) dunks during an NCAA basketball game in Oxford, Miss. Saturday, Feb 1, 2014. (Photo/Ignacio Murillo)
Saturday is Senior Day for Ole Miss basketball, and there is only one player saying goodbye – Marshall Henderson. It is quite fitting that he’ll have the stage to himself.
Henderson is a rare breed; he’s the type of player who brought unparalleled excitement to a tame basketball program in his two years in Oxford.
“I know Marshall Henderson gets beat up a lot, but I’m telling you, he’s one of my favorite players,” South Carolina head coach Frank Martin said earlier this season. “His charisma, his enthusiasm, the way he elevates his team in difficult moments is special.”
He was the main reason Ole Miss snapped an 11-year NCAA Tournament drought and a 32-year SEC tournament championship drought.
He broke an NCAA record last season by launching 394 threes, and he made 138 of them – 35 percent. He’s actually attempting 1.3 more 3-pointers this season and making them at a slightly higher percentage, 35.9 percent.
He broke the SEC record for consecutive games with a 3-point field goal made; he’s currently at 63 games.
His intention to launch as many threes as he can has never bothered his teammates.
“We don’t get frustrated at all. Marshall’s Marshall,” Martavious Newby said after a win over Alabama. “That’s why he is here. The shots that everybody thinks are not going in, he hits.”
His teammates look for his shooting to lead them, or even save them.
“When Marshall’s in the game and starts scoring threes, that’s our salvation,” freshman forward Sebastian Saiz said before the LSU game this season. “When we’re struggling to score and Marshall scores a couple crazy shots that he (always does), that’s our salvation.”
He averaged 20.1 points per game last season and is at 19 this season. In two seasons, he has climbed to 20th on the all-time scoring list at Ole Miss. Every player ahead of him, except Gerald Glass, played at Ole Miss for at least three seasons.
Not only does he shoot and score, but Henderson is just fun. He’s taunted the Auburn student section, imitated the gator chomp and flipped off the crowd after getting eliminated from the NCAA tournament last season. And he’s always good for a spectacular quote.
“I’m trying to get paid here soon because I’m tired of doing all this stuff for free. And this is where you make your money, the NCAA tournament,” Henderson said before the NCAA tournament started last season.
After dropping 25 points in an 84-74 overtime win over Georgia last season, Henderson didn’t have time for a press conference as he entered the media room and dropped just one line.
“All I’m saying is: It’s Saturday night, and I’m out.”
He doesn’t need extra instruction to shoot, but apparently he gets it.
“Some guy in the front row behind me said, ‘Shoot it, Marshall!’ That’s all I need to hear,” Henderson said after scoring 29 points in a win over Missouri this season.
That’s Marshall Henderson. His time at Ole Miss is almost up. Ole Miss hosts Vanderbilt Saturday at 12:30 p.m. It is the last regular season game for Henderson in a Rebel jersey.
Ole Miss is going to play at least once in the SEC Tournament and could secure an NIT bid that could see Ole Miss host another game.
But come Saturday night, Henderson may have played his last game in the Tad Smith Coliseum. It will be Marshall Henderson Day, and he may only have to say, “It’s Saturday night, and I’m out.”
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss men’s basketball, follow @Tyler_RSR and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
