J.R. has found niche in IBL

Victoria Sun

Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 | 10:22 a.m.

Too soft. No heart. Not tough enough.

J.R. Henderson has heard it all before.

Just because the 6-foot-8 Las Vegas Silver Bandits forward doesn't scowl or act like a jerk on the basketball court, critics have questioned his desire to play the game.

"It's been like that always," conceded the former UCLA Bruin. "The game comes easy to me so people feel like I'm not playing hard.

"It's kind of unfair that people judge you on the way you look and your facial expressions, things like that. If you look at my numbers after the game, they're there."

Tonight at 7, the Henderson-led Silver Bandits (15-11) will host the New Mexico Slam (16-8) at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Since Henderson decided to play for the Bandits about two weeks before the inaugural International Basketball League season started, he has had plenty of motivation to put up big numbers.

He is second in the league with a 24-point scoring average and also averages 6.6 rebounds. But although he has pretty much dominated it, he said the competition in the IBL isn't all that bad.

"For me, it's not that hard, but they do challenge you and things like that. They don't back down," he said.

"I've learned how to be consistent with my play. When you're relied upon like I am with this team, you have to play your best every game. You have to not have 30 points one game and the next game eight. You have be consistent."

After averaging 19 points and 7.8 rebounds his senior year at UCLA, the Bakersfield, Calif., native was taken by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the second round with the 56th overall pick of the 1998 NBA Draft.

Because the NBA owner-imposed lockout delayed the start of the 1998 season and shortened it to 50 games, Henderson played 18 games with the Quad City Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association before joining the Grizzlies.

When the lockout ended, Henderson signed a one-year contract and was used sparingly as a backup to Shareef Abdur-Rahim. In 30 games with Vancouver, he averaged a modest 3.2 points and 1.6 rebounds and averaged 11.1 minutes.

During the off-season, he played in NBA summer leagues in Boston and Long Beach, Calif., hoping to improve his skills and be picked up by another NBA club.

His stock rose. Several NBA teams wanted to make him an offer. He could have gone overseas to China, Australia or Italy for six figures. The problem was he never knew about it.

"I didn't know about it until it was too late," Henderson said. "I played summer league for a couple of teams. Then I went home and waited. My agent is overseas at this time. Phone calls are coming in for me at his office, he's not getting them. He's not calling in to check his voice mail or anything so people think I'm saying no to everybody. Forget you."

That left Henderson with no job and no place to play. That's when he finally felt an emotion he had learned to control from an early age -- anger.

"The best thing my parents did for me was brought me up in church. That's why I don't get mad at certain situations. A lot of guys would have still been mad, stayed home or something like that. They would have had an ego of 'I'm not playing in the IBL or the CBA' and that's dumb. I could've been that way, but I'm not."

That attitude has helped him improve. The Silver Bandits are an up-tempo team that thrives off the fast break so Henderson has gotten into better shape this season. During practice, he has worked on shooting more off the dribble and hitting shots coming off screens.

Barry Hecker, the Bandits' assistant coach and former NBA assistant, has noticed the difference.

"I think that everybody knew he was talented coming out of college, but the rap against him was his demeanor," Hecker said. "What playing in this league has done for him is made him mentally tougher.

"He's had to toughen up. I think he's improved his left hand and is more comfortable using his left to finish.

"In my opinion, I think he's an NBA talent. He can still play in the NBA. With J.R., it's a mental adjustment. He has to decide he wants to be as good as everyone knows he can be."

But now that Henderson has had a taste of the NBA, he's not sure he wants to go back.

"When you get out of college, it turns into a business," Henderson said. "I'm doing this to better myself wherever it is.

"Wherever I can make the most money. It doesn't matter if it's the NBA or anywhere else."