Wake Forest-Duke Post Mortem: Gerald Henderson's Poorly Timed Nap

So Saturday night after dinner, a group of ACC aficionados and one Big East fan (who actually thinks wrestling is a major sport) set about dissecting the game-winning inbounds play at the end of the Wake Forest v. Duke game.

One position was clear: What the hell was Gerald Henderson thinking?

Of course, he wasn’t thinking—he’s a college kid, and if you are in college, or you happen to remember college (all or parts), you know there are lapses “in common sense,” so to speak.

But Henderson’s error on the game-losing play literally defies logic. He made two—not one, but two—moves that were completely contrary to basketball instincts. He defied, for some unknown reason, everything that comes naturally to a hoopster past the age of 10.

In retrospect, we should have told the wrestling guy, “What Henderson did was so contrary to the fundamentals of the game that it would be like a wrestler coming out and lying down on his back to start a match.”

If you watch the inbounds play, (and we aren’t gonna find it on YouTube ‘cause it’s Saturday, and we’re lazy, so you’re gonna have to take our word for it), you will see that Henderson lines up between James “Freeze Frame” Johnson and the foul line, not the basket. Then when the play starts, Henderson jumps around behind Johnson to make sure that he doesn’t run out of bounds and win the game. Huh?

Now Henderson is a solid player having a great year. He simply "checked out" for the wrong two seconds.

Obviously, he didn't dwell on it, lighting up Virginia for 18 points in a 25-point Duke win on Sunday.