Prospect Watch: Jarion Henry 2011

One of the icons of the Billy Tubbs basktball era was the “Skeeter Meter.” The Skeeter Meter was a column of lights indicating how loud the arena was. As the Lloyd-Noble Center got louder and louder cheering on Skeeter and the guys, more and more lights came on. No opponent wanted to be anywhere near the LNC when it hit the top. Skeeter Henry was a versatile wing forward who could score in a myriad of ways. He attacked the rim, posted up, and could even hit from long range. His talents eventually led to him getting drafted by the Phoenix Suns. Eighteen years later, could the University of Oklahoma have cause to resurrect the Skeeter Meter through his son?
6’8 versatile forward/guard Jarion Henry is turning the heads of everyone from collegiate coaches to, believe it or not, basketball legend Magic Johnson. His versatility was something that Magic had to see firsthand when Henry lived in California. Now will the University of Oklahoma see that versatility first hand or will Henry be a casualty of limited open scholarships at OU for 2011?

OUHoops recently contacted Henry to find out how his summer went, his upcoming high school season and his recruitment.

“I had a great summer. My AAU team did well and we finished high in most of our tournaments,” Henry said to OUHoops.com in a recent phone interview.

“One of the highlights was holding Lebryan Nash to 6 points and scoring 20 in the Finals of the Great American Shootout”.
Henry, who describes his game as versatile and says he can play positions one through five, also broke down his playing style and recruiting. “Coaches are looking at me mostly at the guard and small forward position, but I’ve had one coach offer me at the point guard because of my passing abilities.”

Henry, a senior at Kimball High in Dallas, Texas, is also excited about the upcoming prep year. “We will be playing a national schedule this year with tournaments in Louisiana and other places. We’ll also participate in the Coca Cola Classic in the DFW area.”  Asked how his high school team would fair, Henry didn’t hesitate. “We will be the team to beat”.

OUHoops.com also asked Henry how the adjustment was moving from California to Texas, a place where his father still had a fan base from his OU days. “People come up to me and say ‘man your father was a great player’ and it makes me feel good to know that.”

Finally, OUHoops.com asked the 6’8 point forward the big recruiting questions: official visits and schools. Henry expressed he has received offers from many schools in the PAC -10 with Oregon and Oregon State as two who stick out in his mind. Outside of the PAC 10 interest there is Marquette and UTEP who are also in the picture..

When asked about the University of Oklahoma, Henry offered that he hasn’t heard much from OU but his father says that he’s heard some interest coming from the OU camp. Henry also plans on taking recruiting slow, with spring as a possible decision date.

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