Basketball team nets a new head coach

Former Duke University assistant coach David Henderson was named head coach of the Blue Hen men's basketball team July 21, succeeding Mike Brey, who resigned only a week earlier to become the head coach at Notre Dame.

Henderson, who served as an assistant coach to Duke University's Mike Krzyzewski for the last three seasons (1997-2000), was himself a player at Duke and had a 10-year professional basketball career.

"I think it is a great opportunity here at Delaware," Henderson said. "I am looking forward to working with the student-athletes, Edgar Johnson [director of the intercollegiate athletics program] and President [David] Roselle. I am looking forward to my first head coaching opportunity and I'm ready to get going."

"Coach Henderson is highly respected in collegiate coaching circles and has been identified as a rising star," Johnson said. "He comes to us highly recommended, and it was obvious to us that he had all of the qualities and abilities needed to help our basketball program continue to grow and flourish. We are very pleased he has agreed to join us."

"We are fortunate that several of the most successful basketball coaches and athletics directors were willing to help us with our search," Roselle said. "Their good counsel and the fact that they describe our vacancy as one of the more outstanding opportunities in all of college athletics ensured that we would be successful. Even in the very strong field of candidates they recommended, David Henderson stood out as having all of the attributes needed to build upon the current strengths of the basketball program. We are very pleased to welcome him to the University of Delaware."

"David Henderson was a winner under Mike Krzyzewski as a player and continued to be a vital part as an assistant and he has learned from one of the best," said ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale. "David is a 'Blue Chipper' in every way and will continue Mike Brey's success in Blue Hen Country."

Henderson graduated from Duke in 1986 with a degree in economics. After graduation, he began his 10-year professional playing career in the Continental Basketball Association before joining the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers. After one season (1988) with Philadelphia, Henderson moved overseas and played eight more seasons in France (1989-90 and 1995), Israel (1991-94 and 1996) and Turkey (1994).

During the 1996-97 academic year, Henderson served as an intern in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) offices and has also worked with the Maryland-based Home Team Sports network (HTS).

The hiring of Henderson marks the third consecutive time a UD men's basketball coach has ties to Duke University. Prior to Brey, Steve Steinwedel served as Blue Hen basketball coach. He had served two seasons as an assistant at Duke under Bill Foster before going to South Carolina as an assistant coach.

As a player at Duke, Henderson finished his four-year career with 1,570 points to rank 20th on the Blue Devils' all-time scoring list. He averaged 12.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game during his 128-game career. He was the co-captain of Duke's 1986 Final Four team, which finished 37-3 in reaching the NCAA title game, and earned ACC All-Tournament honors that season. He was also MVP of the Big Apple Pre-season NIT Tournament that same year. Duke was 84-21 during his final three seasons and earned NCAA Tournament bids each of those years (1984, 1985 and 1986), beginning the Blue Devils' incredible 15-year run.

Henderson is the 22nd men's basketball coach as the program enters its 96th season. While not the first minority head coach in University of Delaware history, Henderson is the first African-American head coach of any sport in UD's 113-year athletics history.

The Blue Hens open the 2000 season Nov. 13 in Philadelphia in the Pre-season NIT at Temple.

--Mike Hirschman