Henry down to three

As coaches have changed schools and schools have filled up their recruiting needs, the options have come and gone for Georgia Perimeter C.C. forward Shane Henry.

But no matter, as Henry is winding down his recruitment. He's now down to three finalists, two of which have offered, with plans of seeing all three over the next few weeks. And by then, Henry will be ready to make a decision.

Henry's three finalists are Virginia Tech, Texas Tech and Louisiana Tech, the latter two which have offered. But when combing through what each has to offer, Henry is looking for a few main points.

"I want somewhere my family can see me play, exposure for the next level, winning a championship and somewhere I can call home, even if wanna stay there after playing ball," he said. "And of course, it's about graduating."

Henry graduated from Newton (Ga.) high school in 2012, but wasn't highly recruited. During his time at Georgia Perimeter, Henry has become known for a defensive prowess, blocking 136 shots last season, many from the weak-side, which ranked third in NJCAA. He also averaged 13 points and 12 rebounds per game.

"I've just grown up mentally and physically," Henry said. "I've gotten stronger and I know the game more, not just playing it. My basketball IQ has really gone up. I go hard every play and just to prove myself and separate myself from everybody else and do whatever it takes to do that."

Virginia Tech's connection stems from new assistant coach Steve Roccaforte, who recruited Henry while he was at South Florida. New Hokies coach Buzz Williams has also taken a strong liking to him.

"I like Coach Buzz's history with JUCO kids and sending them to the league," Henry said. "They have success in his program. That stood out to me and that makes me more interested in Virginia Tech, because they coach people like me. They know what I wanna achieve and what I wanna do at the next level."

Henry said he's developed a good relationship thus far with Williams, Roccaforte and assistant coach Isaac Chew. Williams even watched him practice a few weeks ago.

"When I spoke to Coach Buzz, he was different," Henry said. "He tested my mind, the way I think and it was just different from every coach that's approached me and that stood out to me. It made me more interested in the program. Coach Roc, he was originally at USF and recruited me there. He kept on recruiting me and told Coach Buzz about me. Coach Chew, he's been texting me, telling me about Buzz and Virginia Tech."

Henry will take the first of his three official visits to Louisiana Tech next weekend. He's yet to set dates for the other two, but hopes to visit Virginia Tech, followed by Texas Tech.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the environments," Henry said. "I wanna see how they play, if their bigs are face-up, if it's a fast-paced offense, their threes and fours and just how they press the ball. I wanna see how the players are and the campuses are."

At this point, Henry is focused only on his three finalists, which should allow him to make a decision soon.

"I'm just gonna be taking these three," Henry said. "I'd like to decide in a couple of weeks, after I get back from my visits. I should be able to decide which school I wanna go to."