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View Full Version : Where is Phil Henderson?



devilish
04-04-2007, 03:24 PM
In this article (http://theherald-nc.com/105/story/3150.html) about auctions at a storage facility, "While the Star Wars stuff was a major score, Stafford said his biggest find was in a unit possibly belonging to former Duke basketball player Phil Henderson. Stafford said he turned up a ring belonging to Henderson and other memorabilia. After trying to locate him, Stafford turned the things over to a sports bar in Kansas."

Was it really that hard to find Phil Henderson?

dukestheheat
04-04-2007, 08:56 PM
devilish-

the last i heard from him he was playing in europe; dude had some hops and in my opinion (sordid, deluded or whatever) he STILL has the best DUNK in Duke history, over Zo Mourning. i've tried to practice that dunk and for years after he threw it down, i worked on it, but i couldn't even come close. kind of a two step then sideways and down like he's throwing away a sack of potatoes or something like that.

it gave me chills as you can tell it.

i remember ferry holding his hands on his head and staring at him in disbelief like 'oh my God'.

i got to speak to him after he left duke, when he attended a game once in cameron. he seemed rather disaffected and really passive.

he looked like superman on that dunk.

good old days.

dth.

BluBones
04-04-2007, 09:04 PM
devilish-

dude had some hops and in my opinion (sordid, deluded or whatever) he STILL has the best DUNK in Duke history, over Zo Mourning. i've tried to practice that dunk

Man, I'm impressed with your hops. When I try to practice the dunks of Duke players, I settle for Jay Bilas.

madscavenger
04-04-2007, 09:10 PM
Also my alltime favorite Duke Dunk. I've never heard Alonzo Mourning comment on it, have you?

dukestheheat
04-04-2007, 09:11 PM
blubones-

you remember that dunk i'm talking about, right? wasn't that just a portrait? i was so impressed with that athletic play on his part. he was so confident.

dth.

dukestheheat
04-04-2007, 09:18 PM
madscavenger-

no, i haven't heard anything from zo mourning on that play, but i'll bet you a five stamp he does remember it.

and, i have a dubious distinction from my days at the gothic playground; once, back in the day when we'd throw tennis balls across the court in pre-game warmups.......we were playing clemson......and a tennis ball pops to me and the guy next to me goes 'just chunk it!' so i did......well, it was totally apparent that upon my release, the ball wasn't going to make it OVER HORACE GRANT who was trotting down the side of the court to catch the ball and do his lay-up.......and yes, i clocked horace grant on his shoulder with a tennis ball at cameron i confess and i'm so sorry. he got angry. i was so embarrassed and i was very scared to tell you the brutal truth.

i really felt very bad about that but it's time to admit it after all these years.

i'm actually listening to some theme music from 'batman begins' and it's put me into the confessional mood tonight, so, i'm out of the closet on THE DING of HORACE GRANT in Cameron.

i'll bet you $15,000.00 that IF you see the guy in an airport, and you have the chance to chat it up with him, and then you casually ask 'hey, didn't you get beaned by a tennis ball at cameron during warm-ups?' he will remember that.

i'm sorry.

dth.

dukeENG2003
04-05-2007, 08:28 AM
obviously I'm of a younger generation (I was REALLY young when Phil dunked over Zo), but Dahntay Jones dunk over the 7 footer from UVA followed by the push-ups has got to rank up there as well. . .

Lippl
04-05-2007, 09:42 AM
Oh how I remember that dunk.

Phil had this go-to move where he'd beat his man off the dribble from the wing towards the center of the court, but instead of taking it all the way to the basket, he'd pull up in the key just inside of the foul line and shoot a little 10-footer. It was pretty much automatic, and he avoided getting his shot rejected by stopping short of the big men.

Against Gtown this played out pretty much the same way it always did, and when he got inside the foul line he hesitated and his body looked set to take that little jumper. Except that time instead of pulling up he launched himself at the basket and dunked the damn ball. It was almost like Mourning had seen tape on Henderson and figured he'd pull up. He looked as shocked as anyone.

killerleft
04-05-2007, 10:01 AM
Henderson's dunk was a statement for Duke, as well. Alonzo or not, we were planning on winning this game. Only Duke dunk that compares is the Hurley-to-Hill beauty against Kansas.

There have been many great dunks by our guys, of course, but these two should have (and may have) counted for a bit more than two points.

DankeShane
04-05-2007, 10:06 AM
In what year was this Dunk?

Was the game televised?

If so, why isn't the dunk on youtube?

Susan
04-05-2007, 10:28 AM
The dunk was my senior year, 1989. Amazing. I'll have to dig out my yearbook, but I'm sure it was highlighted in there. (May have some old Chronicle clippings somewhere as well.)

The Duke alumni office seems to have updated info on Henderson. Did the storage unit guy even try contacting Duke? Weird...

RIDukie
04-05-2007, 10:33 AM
Gene Banks over Ralph Sampson in Charlottesville - the crowd let out an oooooooh, then went completely silent.

buzz
04-05-2007, 10:38 AM
I've looked extensively for a video of that dunk to no avail. Perhaps some faithful Dukie will do us all the kind service of posting it. Mourning was THE dominant big man that year, and Phil completely humbled him (during the NCAA regional final, no less). For me, it is the 2nd greatest Duke memory next to the 'shot'.

dukeENG2003
04-05-2007, 10:39 AM
here's a clip that shows the one I'm talking about (Dahntay over I believe its Chase Metheney, but I could be wrong on that, a 7-fter for UVA nonetheless)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72jcpQIxQtE

his dunk is actually in this clip twice, but the full clip, with the pushups that follow, is at 26 seconds. I'm still amazed he didn't get T'd up for it.

I will grant that it isn't all that meaningful (it was just a regular season game against UVA), but for the pure "facial" element, its amazing. He just jumps into, and over the guy. He's no Alonzo Mourning I guess, I'd have to see the Phil dunk to remind me I guess.

lazee
04-05-2007, 01:18 PM
In what year was this Dunk?

Was the game televised?

If so, why isn't the dunk on youtube?

1989 East Regional Finals (I think)

DankeShane
04-05-2007, 01:36 PM
1989 East Regional Finals (I think)

OK, well I'd be more than happy to volunteer to upload a clip on youtube if someone has this game on VHS and wants to mail me a copy. I need some sort of project to take my mind off the way things are going right now.

Sir Stealth
04-05-2007, 01:53 PM
Other great Duke dunks I remember watching live over the last few years...

Corey Maggette rebound followover Temple's whole team in '99 Elite Eight

Dahntay Jones literally jumping entirely over an opposing player to dunk in the Maui Invitational

Corey Maggette on a breakaway dunking the absolute living crap out of the ball to the point it looked like he was gonna swing over and back flip back over the backboard like the rim was a trapeeze. I don't remember ever seeing a ball dunked harder. Actually even though this wasn't over anybody or in a big game, it probably left me with the biggest impression.

dukeENG2003
04-05-2007, 02:34 PM
I don't remember ever seeing a ball dunked harder.

Not to take this too far off topic, but you must be talking about Duke players, b/c a couple of Greg Oden's dunks in the NC game made me tell my wife "he really looks like he's about to rip the rim off, they must have made those things stronger since 'Big Country' Bryant Reeves shattered the glass a couple years back"

Dunkin
04-05-2007, 06:58 PM
Phil had a child in middle school in the Durham Public Schools about 5 years ago. That's all I know.

Lord Ash
04-05-2007, 07:01 PM
I remember Corey dunking on NC State I believe, and pulling himself up and slapping the backboard. I always enjoyed that one.

banneheim
04-05-2007, 10:36 PM
What about Grant's dunk over 7 footer Jim M. during the 1994 NCAA's.

ArkieDukie
04-06-2007, 07:24 AM
My personal fave has always been the Brian Davis to Grant Hill lob at GA Tech in '92, when Hurley was out with a broken foot. Davis' lob completely missed the backboard and went behind & above Hill. He caught it one-handed, brought it around, and dunked it. Packer was rendered speechless.

dukeENG2003
04-06-2007, 08:18 AM
while we're talking great Duke dunks, how bout Brian Davis in the first round game over NE Louisiana? (looked for video and couldn't find it, but it was another case of jumping over a guy and jamming it)

Johnboy
04-06-2007, 08:38 AM
David Henderson taking a U. of Washington Husky to the hole in January 1985 in Cameron. This was a special dunk because (i) it was a rematch of the NCAA Tournament loss and (ii) it was nationally televised - this was more of a rarity then. Plus, it was a nasty dunk - DH's man was right in front of him, and Henderson just turned on the jets, went around him like he was sitting still and jammed it.

I can't believe a dunk thread has gotten this long without mentioning the reverse breakaway jam that Johnny Dawkins laid on Navy in the 1986 Regional Finals. That was the Navy team led by David Robinson, but the dunk was over one of the Admiral's crew. It topped off an 11 point win to ensure Coach K's first trip to the Final Four.

johnb
04-06-2007, 08:46 AM
Grant's athleticism took my breath away, and it signaled that we knew we could win. Phil's was similar and showed we wouldn't back down against the toughest player in college. Dahntay's was cool but didn't have the importance, and didn't he get a technical for the pull up? Billy King's gamelong defensive dunk on Mark Macon should also be mentioned, if only because it was fun to watch.

DankeShane
04-06-2007, 09:22 AM
Grant's athleticism took my breath away, and it signaled that we knew we could win. Phil's was similar and showed we wouldn't back down against the toughest player in college. Dahntay's was cool but didn't have the importance, and didn't he get a technical for the pull up? Billy King's gamelong defensive dunk on Mark Macon should also be mentioned, if only because it was fun to watch.

I think there is some confusion over the post-dunk workout moves. Dahntay did pushups after his, Magette did the pull-up / slap combo vs. UNC. Right? Or am I forgetting a Dahntay pull-up.

dukestheheat
04-06-2007, 10:46 AM
johnboy-

i spoke to David Henderson about that dunk versus Wash, and his man was Detlef Schrempf (spelled?). he hit that one on the north goal of cameron on the right side of the bucket; he comes in with great power and great speed, since he'd lost schrempf at about 1/4 court witha nasty head fake, and he goes up and does a tomahawk.

if you get your hand in between DH and the rim on that one, you're at Duke looking at the orthopods for bone repair. a nasty flush to say the least.

WE NEED A GUY LIKE BRICKEY ON THE TEAM RIGHT NOW!

Brickey used to take my breath away when he'd dunk. and, my best Cameron story EVER came on the heels of a Robert Brickey flush versus the hated Holes. Another day, another story.

dth.

RelativeWays
04-06-2007, 11:00 AM
I was thinking of Robert Brickey myself. He had another solid throw down against the Heels at the Dean Dome in 89 if I remember correctly.

dukestheheat
04-06-2007, 12:53 PM
relativeways-

yes, i also had the chance to speak to Brick about THAT dunk, as well, and if you'll remember it, the referee called him for traveling, which I thought was an improper call. Brick told me that his roommate had taped that game, and had rolled back that particular play, and they reviewed it and he did NOT travel while going up to pound that ball.

I remember that one well....he was up so high and he right-hand stuffed the ball down....got that one with some speed and some time to get powered up, and then he totally killed it.

bogus call, wonderfully athletic move on Brick's part.

the good old days.

dth.

Indoor66
04-06-2007, 01:20 PM
Brickey, for me, showed the most consistently spectacular dunks I have seen at Duke. Grant and Gene Banks may have been next.

One of the most entertaining Duke Dunks was Kenny Dennard in 1978 at Providence in the Regionals against Villanova. After Rollie was quote in the paper that 'Nova would run Duke out of the gym, Duke ran and ran and had break after break.

Dennard delivered an exclamation point with an uncontested breakaway 360 dunk - in the days of fixed rims - no give like breakaway rims. He had a big grin for the Duke crowd and for Rollie.