By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball program and head coach Steve Payne kept its momentum building toward the 2015-16 campaign Wednesday afternoon, announcing the signing of Columbia (Ga.) High School big man Micaiah (MY-kay-uh) Henry.
A beast in the paint, particularly on the defensive side,, for the perennially state-title contending Columbia High School varsity team, Henry will join fellow freshman signee Tre Hansbrough as the newest members of the 2015-16 Tech squad.
"Micaiah comes from a traditionally strong high school program that Tennessee Tech has had a history of finding star talent from," Payne said. "Lorenzo Coleman played at Columbia High School, and he was one of the best defensive players to ever come through our program. CHS has had success and are known for that kind of talent.
"He is a little bit of a late bloomer in that he's a young senior, but Coach [Kerry] Sandifer did a great job of bringing him along. He can defend and rebound at our level, right now. He possesses a great body physically and tremendous athleticism.
"We're looking for him to keep maturing and growing as he gets older. I think he'll have a great career here at Tennessee Tech. He has a very high basketball IQ and he's a great student and hard worker. He has great hands; he's long, tough and physical. Everything you look for in an interior player, he fits that mold. It will be up to us now to bring him along and develop his skill levels a bit, but he's coming along. We're very excited about signing Micaiah."
Micaiah Henry
6-8 – 215 – Center – Decatur, Ga. – Columbia High School
The paint was never a place of comfort for opponents of Columbia High School this past season, as Henry stuffed the stat sheets with a knack for defending and creating havoc down low, averaging over six blocks per game. The youngster was impressive all year, recording numerous double-doubles and several triple-doubles, including a monster 26-point, 20-rebound and 13-block showing towards the end of the regular season.
He just missed out on a triple-double in the team's regional semifinal contest, posting 10 points, 16 rebounds and nine blocks. He helped his team to a TBCA Thanksgiving Classic title and was named All-Tournament at the Chik-Fil-A Basketball Classic as a senior. A great student as well, Henry owns a 3.9 GPA and is on pace to graduate as the saludatorian of his class.
Henry on why he chose Tech:
I really like the school from the moment I met Coach [Frank] Davis and rest of the staff. They were one of the first schools to come see me play and they pretty much offered me on the spot. That really showed me how serious they were and I loved it. On my visit, I met all of the coaches and players and loved every one of them. The team has a chance to go far and I know that it will be a great place for me to develop and take my game to the next level.
Henry on what he hopes to bring to the table next season:
I plan to be a good rim protector and try to rebound everything that comes my way. I've been working on my game offensively and this year became much more of an offensive threat. I feel that I'll be able to make an impact on defense and the glass, while providing some scoring down low.
Henry on what he's looking forward to most in his first year at Tech:
First and foremost, I'm looking forward to trying to win a conference championship. After seeing the types of workouts they do on my visit, there's a lot of opportunity for individual skill development, and I like that. I'm excited to go through the whole college experience. I know the fans are great I can't wait to feel the atmosphere of college basketball at Tennessee Tech.
Columbia High School head coach Kerry Sandifer on Henry:
Micaiah is just a super young man both on and off the court. Athletically, he is a great defender and can rebound the ball well. It will take some work for him to catch up offensively, but it will definitely come. He's so young and his upside is tremendous. Tennessee Tech is getting a great kid who is well spoken and just flat out works his tail off. He is going to improve every day and by the time he's a junior, he has the potential to be off the scale.
He's so coachable; it just made my job easier. He came to work every day and worked hard every day. Our team wasn't great defensively, but he made us better. He's a very low-maintenance kid who just wants to be at practice every day. He soaks everything in and is out to learn each time he's on the floor.
Inset photo contributed
