"They believe in me": Shelton Henderson chooses John Scheyer's Duke over Texas, Louisville, LSU and more

The Duke Blue Devils added another top talent to their 2024-25 roster as four-star Shelton Henderson announced his commitment to the team on Saturday. The 6-foot-6 small forward from Bellaire High School, Texas, chose to come to Durham over offers from Texas, Louisville, Houston, LSU, Texas Tech and more.

“I chose Duke because they believe in me," Henderson said. "The pipeline is so deep with who they have sent to the NBA and I think they could also get me there. I also enjoyed the atmosphere and the fanbase. This has been my dream school since I started watching basketball.”

While he was named one of the top defenders in the country by On3, Henderson believes his game needs improvement. The help and assistance that Duke coach Jon Scheyer and his staff gave for his improvements persuaded the forward to join the Blue Devils.

“I think coach Scheyer and the whole staff will really push me to be the best me and help me play to my strengths but also work on my weaknesses day in and day out. Also, Jai Lucas being on the staff and him being from Houston, really gives me a sense of relief to know I have someone who gets where I’m coming from.”

Shelton Henderson will join other top recruits like Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer and Nik Khamenia in the Duke 2024-25 roster.

---

Shelton Henderson: A look at player profile

Per his scouting report, Shelton Henderson is described as a 'strong-framed, densely built, explosive wing.' He uses his height to this advantage and can take care of both ends of the court.

"Henderson is a good positional rebounder and he can defend up or down a line up, comfortable containing the one through four at this level," On3’s Jamie Shaw wrote."

Shelton Henderson had a great summer as he won the gold medal representing Team USA at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship. He averaged 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Henderson also had impressive performances for JL3 Elite in the Nike EYBL circuit. He averaged 14.8 points and 6.3 rebounds on the circuit and 14.7 points and 4.6 rebounds at the Nike Peach Jam in July.

When asked to describe his playing style, Henderson said:

“I would describe my game as an aggressive, downhill-type player that can create for others and playmake off the dribble. And also impact the game in a huge way on defense and being able to rebound at a high level.”

After the highly talked about 2024 freshman class, the 2025 recruits come close to creating much buzz for the future of Duke basketball. With Cooper Flagg expected to be a one-and-done player, Henderson, with other top recruits are expected to lead the Blue Devils