AOTW: Floor general Henning returns to lead Rochester College

BY DAN STICKRADT

SENIOR EDITOR

dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com

Twitter: @LocalSportsFans

ROCHESTER HILLS — Stephan Henning was faced with a dilemma two years ago at Rochester College.

Return the following season and then finish classes long after his college basketball career was complete, or take a redshirt year in 2010-11 and then play with an extremely talented basketball team at the school and graduate only a couple of months later.

Redshirt seasons are often hard to swallow, but Henning did what was best for him at the time and opted to sit out for a year.

“I took the redshirt so I could graduate (the same year I finished basketball),” said Henning. “I took 22 credits both terms (last season). To take (44 credits in one year) is unreal. It made up a lot with a great GPA and now I still get to graduate in May this year.”

LEADER OF THE SHOW: Rochester College senior Stephan Henning is top five nationally in the USCAA in assists and hopes to lead the Warriors to the national championship. Staff Photo | Dan Stickradt

With a year of only practice time and hundreds of hours in the books, Henning came back rejuvenated this season and caught up with his school work. Only months from graduation, he is doing what he does best — leading a basketball team.

Rochester College finished fifth in the nation during his redshirt year participating in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association. This year, the 5-foot-11 senior point guard says that RC is “even better” this season compared to the past couple of years.

“I feel that with this team, the national tournament is ours,” smiled Henning. “If we stay together and stick to our core values (of teamwork), I think that we’ll do well at the tournament.”

Entering the USCAA tournament, Henning is second in the USCAA Division I in assists, picking up 148 total dimes for a 4.93 average, which is fifth-highest average nationally. He is also averaging around seven points, three rebounds and a steal a game directing a well-balanced offense that also includes All-America candidates Ricky Doran and Dramell Hogan and several other capable scorers.

He has had a couple of double-digit assists games this season for a team that is absolutely rolling after a rough couple of months playing a brutally-tough schedule. RC played NCAA Division I schools Oakland, Kent State, Austin Peay, Tennessee-Martin and Eastern Michigan, along with losses to a D-II (Grand Valley State) and D-III (Hope College) national powerhouse programs.

“The Division I games helped us out tremendously, even though we didn’t win a game, we were in every game we played,” said Henning. “We lost to Oakland by 10, even Kent State by 12 points…Austin Peay, we had them down by eight at the half. We played tough in every game. We lost to (Division II) Grand Valley by 10. Those are all big schools. Even though we did lose, we know that we can compete with anyone when we play our game.”

That is true.

With Henning at the point, Rochester College only has eight losses and seven of those came against NCAA Division I, Division II or Division III schools. Against USCAA or NAIA schools, the Warriors have only lost one time this season, and that was to Kuyper College in mid-January. RC avenged that loss to Kuyper in February, posting a 28-point victory.

Henning was far away from Rochester College when he moved to Michigan in the eighth grade from Beloit, Wisconsin, never even hearing of the place until after his arrival.

He enrolled at Rochester High School as a freshman and got acquainted with the RC staff, as Rochester High boys basketball assistant coach at the time was John Pleasant, whose father, Garth Pleasant, was the RC head coach and older brother, Klint Pleasant, was the top assistant with the Warriors.

Henning went on to become a four-year starting point guard for Rochester, but failed to help his team win a league or district title upon his high school graduation in 2007. There wasn’t a ton of talent at Rochester during his four seasons of running the point.

Henning was a two-time all-conference basketball player in the OAA White Division at Rochester and also played football for two years, earning all-league honor his senior season as a wide receiver.

Henning was sought after several schools coming out of high school and signed with Division II Northwood University in Midland, Mich., for basketball during the spring of his senior year. He left Northwood after only one season and was given a fresh start at Rochester College, which ironically plays its home games at Rochester High.

He has become a factor the Warriors’ schemes ever since.

“Stephan has become a great floor leader of us,” said Klint Pleasant, who is now the head coach at Rochester College. “I know it was tough on him to sit out last season, but he did what he needed to do. This year he’s come back and become one of our leaders again. He’s not going to lead us in scoring every night, but he kind of holds it together for us out on the court. He’s the type of player that a coach wants leading his team.”

Since Christmas, Rochester College is an outstanding 16-1 and is rolling through the USCAA national tournament. Behind nine straight wins, Henning and his talented teammates are one win away from accomplishing their goals.

Henning will suit up one last time in a college uniform on March 10, as his team will play in the USCAA Division national championship game at 9 p.m. at Penn State-Fayette in Uniontown, Pennsylvania.

The Warriors have been ranked first or second in the USCAA polls all season and are favored to win it all this season.

“To win a national championship — I think that is the dream of anybody that plays college basketball, “smiled Henning. “That’s been our goal since Day 1.”

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Tags: Athlete of the Week, college men's basketball, featured, Rochester College Men's Basketball, Stephan Henning, USCAA Men's Basketball

Category: Campus Clips, Colleges / Other, Rochester College, Uncategorized