DeMarcus Henry’s rise has been built in the gym, and his high school coach says Louisville is chasing exactly the kind of player who never turns the lights off.
Before Henry left Tuesday for his official visit to Louisville, AZ Compass Prep coach Pete Kaffey saw him already in the gym at 4:45 a.m. Henry then went through the team’s 6 a.m. practice, got in another workout around 8 a.m., and headed out for the trip. For Kaffey, that kind of routine explains why the 6-foot-7 forward has climbed into the national spotlight.
“It’s his willingness to work and work and work and work and work,” Kaffey told CardinalAuthority. “He’s a worker.
Those are my moments, man. He competes and plays well, but watching his progression is like, man, I could share that with the next guy who comes here.”
Kaffey said Henry’s growth over the last year has been dramatic, describing him as going from “an average basketball player to one of the best players in the country.” He pointed to Henry’s mentality as the driving force behind that jump.
“His mindset is different,” Kaffey said. “He thinks he’s the best player in the country, and I believe that he is.
He’s going to work hard to let people know that he is. He’s going to play hard, and he competes on both sides of the ball.”
That development showed up in the rankings this summer. Henry is now No. 1 among small forwards and No. 4 overall in the 247Sports Rankings, while the 247Sports Composite has him at No. 3 overall.
Kaffey said Henry’s value goes beyond one standout trait. The way he handles the process matters just as much as the production.
“There are a lot of things he brings to the table,” Kaffey said. “I can’t really single out one thing about DeMarcus.
It’s his ability to be committed to the process. Whatever the process is, he’s going to be committed 110 percent.
He puts the work before anything. He just wants to win.”
That impact reaches the whole team, too. Kaffey said practice changed once Henry left for Louisville.
“When he was here, we were having amazing practices,” Kaffey said. “Then, the day he left to go to Louisville, the energy was low.
It’s just something he does. I can’t pinpoint one thing.”
Louisville is one of several major programs in the mix for Henry, alongside Kentucky, Kansas, Duke, Arkansas, BYU, Ohio State, North Carolina and UConn. Kaffey believes Henry’s game can translate anywhere, and he sees a natural connection with Pat Kelsey’s system at Louisville.
“He’s a great kid, really wants to be good,” Kaffey said. “He’s a great teammate.
He’s an energy guy. He definitely brings that to the table as well.”
Kaffey said Kelsey’s offense lines up with what he runs at AZ Compass Prep, especially the five-out style that gives bigger wings room to operate.
“Pat runs the same style of offense that I run,” Kaffey said. “He likes his bigger wings to dominate.
He runs a five-out offense. We run five-out.
He lets his guards and his guys play. He did it with Mikel Brown and some other guys he’s had.
I think he’d fit well in any system. He’s a plug-and-play kid.”
Louisville assistant Ronnie Hamilton has been Kaffey’s main point of contact during the Cardinals’ recruitment of Henry, and Kaffey said the interest has been obvious.
“Ronnie does an amazing job of contacting me,” Kaffey said. “From what I’ve gathered from Ronnie, I know they’re highly interested in DeMarcus.
They all came and showed up at the airport. Obviously, I know they want him.
That’s why he’s going on an official visit.”
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