Tennessee’s summer work is winding down, and one of the more encouraging updates out of Knoxville is Troy Henderson’s steady climb back from a left shoulder injury.
Rick Barnes said Henderson has been making progress after surgery on April 8, and the sophomore guard has already been doing more around the team even if he still isn’t cleared for full contact work. Barnes made it clear the staff has been careful with him, but the signs have been positive.
“Looking forward to Troy getting back,” Barnes said. “Troy was probably ahead of schedule but we knew we weren’t going to allow him to do anything with the team, physically, until we got back in the fall.
But he’s been doing more non-contact stuff with us. But he’s probably been ahead of schedule.”
During the portions of practice open to the media, Henderson has been part of the early drills with his teammates. Once the session shifts into competitive work, though, he moves aside and keeps grinding through shooting reps.
That progress has been visible even from a distance. When Tennessee returned from the Fourth of July break, Henderson was limited to midrange jumpers. By the middle of July, he had worked his way back to taking three-pointers.
The 6-foot-1 guard played through the shoulder issue during the back half of his freshman season, and Barnes said in March that Henderson was basically gutting it out before eventually getting the offseason procedure.
Henderson’s offseason also included a change of heart. He initially planned to enter the transfer portal, then decided to stay in Knoxville for his sophomore year.
“Thinking further about my future and having a great conversation with Coach Barnes and the staff, I’ve realized there is no place I’d rather be than right here on Rocky Top,” Henderson wrote.
As a freshman, Henderson appeared in 28 games and averaged 1.8 points and 1.1 assists in seven minutes per game. He showed real value as a perimeter shooter, knocking down 15 threes at a 34% clip. His two-point production was limited, with just two makes inside the arc all season.
The Virginia native spent the year battling Ethan Burg for the backup point guard role behind Ja’Kobi Gillespie. Henderson held that spot at times, but Burg ultimately took over as the season went on, and Henderson logged just four minutes across Tennessee’s final five games.
Even with the rehab trending in the right direction, Henderson still has work ahead of him for minutes in what should be a crowded Tennessee backcourt next season. The Vols brought in Terrence Hill, Dai Dai Ames, Juke Harris and Tyler Lundblade through the transfer portal and added high school signees Marquis Clark and Manny Green.
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