Should I Stay or Should I Go? Why Former Duke Star Gerald Henderson Chose Wrong

The one-and done phase of college basketball is at its peak in today’s game. 

Left and right, the top-ranked prospects coming into college get encouraged by the media to make the leap to the NBA, guaranteeing several players endorsements and contracts at the next level. 

Legendary programs may recruit some of the finest talents in the country, but each coach is now forced to hold his breath once the year is coming to a close, hoping that he persuaded his top player to stick around for another year.

At one point in college basketball, this was not the case.

Take former Duke University standout and recent inductee into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Christian Laettner, for example.

Although most noted for his game-winning last-second jump shot in Duke's dramatic 104-103 victory over Kentucky in the East regional final of the 1992 NCAA Tournament, acclaimed by many as the "greatest college basketball game ever played,” Laettner played all four years in college.

Laettner is currently one of only four players ever to play in four consecutive Final Fours, and still owns the record for most tournament games played, with 23, out of a maximum possible of 24 in 4 years.

The one-and-done phase of college basketball was unheard of during Laettner’s playing days. The jump from high school to the NBA sounded even more ridiculous than the previous, further proving that today’s game is in a state of turmoil, along with the talent level being better than ever before.

Imagine if players who enrolled into college used their entire four years of eligibility? Stars like Kevin Durant, Michael Beasley, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, Greg Oden and Derrick Rose would still be playing in college today.  What kind of shake-up would the polls undergo if this was in fact true?

A former Duke star and most recent Blue Devil player to give up their full four years of eligibility to jump to the NBA, Gerald Henderson illustrates this point perfectly.

Not only did Henderson pass up playing his senior year in Durham, but he also left a team that has made its case as one of the top contenders to reach the NCAA Final Four.

“The Big Three,” or Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, have commanded attention from the start of the season, and have been one of the top scoring trios in the entire country.

Scheyer has been fantastic at point guard, Smith has continued to develop into one of the ACC’s most improved players, and Singler efficiently gets the job done on a game-to-game basis for Coach Mike Krzyzewski. What if Henderson would have decided to stay at Duke for his final year?

Gerald Henderson was taken with the 12th Draft Pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats, and is making approximately $1,957,080 (according to ESPN.com) during his Rookie season. Not bad money for a 22-year-old, but he has also rarely seen the court this year.

In the NBA, Henderson is overshadowed by fellow Bobcat guards Raymond Felton, Stephen Jackson and D.J. Augustin.

Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown normally uses this three-guard rotation as the primary ball-handlers, and as a result Henderson has entered just 29 games and is averaging just 2.4 points in 7.7 minutes of action on the year.

When considering making the leap to the next level, it’s pretty much a matter of what a player is willing or not willing to give up: Tons of playing time and success in college making no money or immediate money and little to no time on the court in the NBA.

Gerald Henderson could have been a possible All-American at Duke this season, leading the Blue Devils to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference and possibly deep into March.

Instead, he is riding the bench in the high-flying NBA, almost an afterthought to most basketball fans now that he rarely sees action.

It’s a matter of opinion: The money and glamour the NBA presents or success on the college level. Gerald Henderson chose the first option, and as a result he has to pay for it.

Hopefully later on in his career he can make a name for himself. He possessed great athleticism while at Duke and displayed a sweet jump shot. For the time being, however, he is one of several great college players who have lost their way to the NBA.