Phil Henderson - Class of 1986

Crete-Monee's Greatest Athlete: Phil Henderson

Basketball standout participated in three straight NCAA Final Fours at Duke

How many basketball players from the Southland can say they've played in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament? An elite few.

How many can say they've played in the Final Four three times?

One, and his name is Phil Henderson.

Henderson, a 1986 graduate of Crete-Monee High School, played his college basketball for coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University and helped the Blue Devils to the Final Four three years in a row, from 1988 to '90.

Henderson, who still makes his way back to the Crete area to conduct basketball camps, made an undeniable impact on Duke's men's basketball program, and while Crete-Monee has certainly had its share of standout performers, the former Blue Devils star is in a class by himself, allowing the SouthtownStar to anoint him Crete-Monee's "Greatest."

"Phil's a guy who has never forgotten where he came from," Crete-Monee athletic director Gene Cahan said. "He wants to give back to the community, and he's doing that now with the camps that he's putting on and that's great to see."

In addition to his three Final Four appearances, Henderson, a native of University Park, might best be remembered for a tomahawk dunk over future NBA All-Star center Alonzo Mourning, then playing for Georgetown, in the 1989 NCAA East Regional final.

The dunk gave Duke a six-point advantage over the Hoyas with just over nine minutes left in the game and helped propel the Blue Devils to an 85-77 win.

A 6-foot-4 point guard, Henderson was a McDonald's High School All-American in 1986 and was considered by many to be among the country's best prep players.

While at Duke, Henderson made his mark as a highly skilled player.

Spending his first three years in Durham playing in the shadow of another standout, Danny Ferry, Henderson finally got his opportunity to take center stage during his senior campaign of 1989-90.

After Duke reached the Final Four in 1988 and '89, only to fall in the national semifinals, Henderson, with the help of up-and-coming stars Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley, helped the Blue Devils advance to the NCAA title game in 1990 against UNLV. Duke fell 103-73 in the championship game.

That season, Henderson led the team in scoring, averaging 18.5 points per game, and was presented the Swett Memorial Trophy, given to Duke's Most Valuable Player, as voted on by the players.

A second-round draft choice of the Dallas Mavericks, Henderson never latched on in the NBA, but did put together a more than solid career in the CBA, where he played for seven seasons.

OTHER CANDIDATES

Carl Schramm: Class of 1988. Football and baseball standout at Crete-Monee. Played in Cubs and San Francisco Giants minor league systems.

Ray Griggs: Class of 1989. Three-sport athlete at Crete-Monee (football, basketball, baseball). Played college football at Notre Dame and was a member of Fighting Irish 1988 national championship team.

Tywan Mitchell: Class of 1994. Former NFL tight end with Arizona Cardinals (2000-01). Played college football at Mankato State University (Minn.)

Shelly McBride: Class of 1985. Totaled four career state track titles as an 800- and 1,600-meter runner. Also was a Class AA state cross country champion in 1982.

Ryan McWilliams: Class of 1988. Pitched for Southern Illinois University and in Philadelphia Phillies organization.

THE HENDERSON FILE

Born: April 17, 1968, in University Park.

• Crete-Monee Class of 1986.

• Helped the Warriors to a Class AA regional title in 1985.

• A 1986 McDonald's High School All-American.

• Played four years at Duke University.

• Played in Final Four of the NCAA Tournament three times while at Duke (1988, '89, '90).

• Played in 1990 NCAA Tournament title game.

• Awarded the Swett Memorial Trophy in 1990 as Duke's MVP.

• Two-time All-ACC Tournament selection (1989 and '90).

• All-NCAA Tournament selection (1990).

• Second-team All-ACC (1990).

• Duke's leading scorer in 1989-90, averaging 18.5 ppg.

• Fifth on Duke career 3-point percentage list (40 percent).

• Ranks 12th on Duke single-season 3-pointer list with 79 in 1989-90 season.

• Ranks 29th on Duke career scoring list with 1,397 points.