Welcome New Jacks where 247Sports introduces our readers to some of the top underclassmen in the country. Today, we introduce Roman Henry.
THE DETAILS
A 6-foot-4 guard, Henry played his way onto the national radar as an ultra-productive freshman at Sioux City (Iowa) West. During his first high school season, Henry averaged 26.4 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while making more than 50% of his shots from the floor.
Henry can play on or off the ball, and his ridiculous freshman season translated to the grassroots circuit. During the spring and summer Henry was the leading scorer for MoKan Elite’s 15U team that went 21-0 in the Nike EYBL and won the Peach Jam.
“I feel like my strengths as a player are my size at the point guard and how versatile I am,” Henry told 247Sports. “I can also guard out of position and play any position on the offensive side. I can create for myself anytime I want, and I can do the same for my teammates.
“What’s helped me succeed early is watching film, being confident in what I work on when nobody’s watching, and not being afraid of the big moments. Also, playing against the best competition in high school and really my whole life just makes you a better player.”
For his sophomore season, Henry has transferred to Norwalk (Iowa) Iowa United Prep and will get a chance to prove himself on the national level again when Iowa United competes on Nike’s EYBL Scholastic platform.
While he’s already been quite successful, Henry is hungry to become a more complete player.
“I want to improve on the defensive side more,” Henry said. “Not just perimeter defense, but also interior and off ball defense. I want to be able to block shots, be in the right place at the right time, and just let them feel my presence. I also want to improve my strength, speed, and size. I want to continue getting stronger because, as I get older, the game is getting more physical and I play a physical style of basketball so the strength is always a plus. I want my body to be able to handle that physicality and compete at a high level on both ends of the floor.”
COLLEGE ATTENTION
Considering that he’s still roughly three years away from his high school graduation, Henry hasn’t put too much thought into the recruiting process. He’s entering it all with an open mind and already has high-major offers and interest.
“It’s still really early, so I’m keeping an open mind,” Henry said. “Location isn’t a big factor for me being that I have moved a lot so adjusting to new places isn’t hard for me. I think the biggest things will be the relationship I have with the coaching staff, their style of play, how they develop guards and being somewhere that believes in me and gives me an opportunity to compete.
