Before the No. 14 Miami Hurricanes open the 2026-27 season against No. 1 Florida, Shelton Henderson is already in the spotlight.
The sophomore forward was announced Wednesday as one of 20 players on the Julius Erving Award Watch List, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame said. The award goes each year to the top small forward in NCAA Division I men’s basketball.
Henderson arrives on the list with real momentum after a freshman season that showed both production and upside. The former five-star recruit averaged 13.8 points on 56.7 percent shooting, along with 4.9 rebounds, 2,1 assists, and 1.1 steals across 35 games, all starts. Even while playing alongside veterans such as Ernest Udeh Jr., Tre Donaldson, and Malik Reneau, he still found ways to make a winning impact.
Now the Hurricanes need even more from the Houston, Texas, native. Henderson passed on the NBA Draft and returned to Coral Gables, a decision that looms large for a Miami roster that needed him back. He’s expected to carry more of the offensive load while continuing to give the Hurricanes versatility and toughness on defense.
His game fits the billing. Henderson plays with force, attacks the paint, and gets to the rim.
At 6-6 and 239 pounds, with explosive athleticism, he brings the kind of physical profile that can wear teams down. He’s already shown he can score in the mid-range, and the next step is sharpening the perimeter shot.
If that part comes along, it changes the look of Miami’s offense and boosts his NBA Draft stock at the same time.
He offered an early glimpse of what that might look like in Miami’s 109-96 exhibition win over No. 24 Vanderbilt at the Watsco Center. Henderson scored 17 points on 72.7 percent shooting and added five rebounds, four assists, a steal, and a block in 23 minutes.
The watch list will be trimmed to 10 candidates in February, then down to five finalists in March. Those finalists will go to Erving and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, which will choose the winner.
Fans can begin voting for Henderson on Friday, Oct. 30.
In Other News...
Miami Heads To UNC With One Injury Concern Still Lingering
Miamis injury picture remains a little messy heading into the trip to North Carolina, with six players already ruled out on the latest report. Wide receiver Joshua Moore and running back CharMar Brown are among the absences, while the Hurricanes will still be watching the status of a couple of notable pieces after freshman Milan Parris and veteran cornerback Xavier Lucas were not listed but continue to carry injury concerns.
That leaves a few moving parts for a game that already comes with some uncertainty on the other sideline, where UNC is dealing with its own defensive absences and questions. For Miami, the larger issue is less about the names already sidelined and more about whether the group it expects to have available can get through the week without another late setback. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Could Be Miamis Biggest Unbeaten Test Yet
Miamis unbeaten start has put it in a small and sturdy national club as Halloween weekend arrives, alongside Utah and UCLA as the only remaining FBS teams still at 7-0. For the Hurricanes, the early success has come from a team that has looked sharp on both sides of the ball, enough to keep it in the conversation as the schedule tightens and the margin for error shrinks.
The next stretch will tell much more about how real that start is, and Notre Dame looms as the kind of test that can reshape the seasons tone in a hurry. Projections still leave room for a strong finish, even one that lands Miami at 11-1, but the upcoming path also brings the sort of opponent that can expose whether this unbeaten run is built to last. [Read more 🡒]
Mario Cristobal Finds Himself In Another ACC Flashpoint After Miami Rout
After Miamis rout, the postgame scene briefly drew attention for reasons beyond the scoreboard when Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi was asked about a handshake with Mario Cristobal. Narduzzi used his Monday news conference to push back on any suggestion of animosity, saying the exchange was friendly and that he even told Cristobal to go win the national championship. For a Hurricanes program that has spent plenty of time in ACC crosscurrents, it was another reminder that the conversation around Miami rarely stays on the field for long.
Narduzzi also acknowledged the offseason friction that had lingered around accusations tied to transfer portal recruiting, which had already added heat to this matchup. But he framed this latest moment differently, describing the handshake as a positive one rather than another chapter in the tension. For Miami, its the kind of sideline subplot that can follow Cristobal around even after a dominant win, especially when conference relationships have already been tested. [Read more 🡒]