Tyrell Henderson scored just two points in Corona del Sol’s 67-61 quarterfinal win over pesky Central Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
But you’d never guess it talking to Aztec head coach Sam Duane after Corona improved to 30-1.
“Tyrell doesn’t get the credit he deserves,” Duane told Sports360AZ.com shortly after the victory. “He’s our glue guy. He defends very well. He did a great job defensively. He makes all the simple plays for us. Keeps us in the flow.”
It’s almost unfair to call the 6’3, athletic junior a “role player” as he would be the first or second offensive option at nearly any other high school in the state…just not Corona, whose roster is littered with Division 1 talent like senior forward Dane Kuiper, super sophomore guard Alex Barcello and freshman freak 6’10 Marvin Bagley.
Henderson’s approach is simple: we before me.
“I like winning so whatever it takes to win,” he explained. “I know I have great players around me so I don’t mind giving up the ball. I know they’ll make the right decisions.”
Henderson and his teammates, both past and present, have been doing that for quite some time. The Aztecs are looking to capture their fourth consecutive state championship in the next week. It would mark the third-straight for the versatile guard who watched and learned under former CDS star, now Oregon Duck freshman Casey Benson.
“It’s fun,” he said. “There’s not really pressure. Coach just tells us to have fun whenever we play. It’s great. It’s a winning tradition…just trying to get the gold ball. That’s all I’m worried about.”
Corona plays fifth-seed Chaparral in the semi-finals Saturday night at Grand Canyon University.
Eric Sorenson
