Former Siloam Springs basketball standout Payton Henson announced Tuesday he is leaving Tulane after two seasons with the Green Wave men's basketball team and planning to pursue other opportunities.
Henson, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound sophomore, made the announcement on his Twitter and Facebook accounts.
"After a lot of thought and prayer with my family, I have decided to transfer from Tulane and seek opportunities to play elsewhere," Henson wrote. "I want to thank the coaches and everyone else involved with Tulane University for the opportunity they have given me the past two years. I have learned so much during my time here and I am grateful for all they have done for me. I am excited about my future and look forward to finding out what the Lord has planned for me."
In an interview on Thursday, Henson -- the all-time leading scorer at Siloam Springs and two-time NWA Media Player of the Year -- said the decision to leave Tulane was one he has been struggling with for a while.
"It was an extremely tough decision," he said. "I'm extremely grateful to Tulane for giving me this opportunity. Going forward, I'm looking forward to re-opening my recruitment and trying to figure out where I'm going to end up next. I'm looking forward to going to a school where I can get a great education and compete for a conference championship and get to the NCAA Tournament."
Henson asked for and received his release from Tulane head men's basketball coach Ed Conroy.
"I appreciate his efforts and I wish him the best," Conroy told the Times-Picayune. Henson is the fifth player to leave Tulane since the conclusion of the 2014-15 season. The Green Wave finished the season with a 15-16 record and lost in the first round of the American Championship.
If Henson transfers to another Division I school, he will have to sit out a year because of NCAA rules. If he transfers to a school that's Division II or lower, he will be eligible to play immediately.
Henson said he would be OK with sitting out a year. He will have two years of eligibility left.
"I actually considered that one of the pros," Henson said. "It gives me a year to get ahead in academics and improve areas in my game."
On Thursday, Henson said he had already been contacted by several schools, including NCAA Division I schools Albany (N.Y.), Vermont and Oral Roberts along with Division II schools Rogers State, Southwest Baptist and University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.
Henson said he was planning to use this week to get a feel for the schools that have contacted him.
"I'm hoping to narrow it down and schedule visits," he said. "I don't want to rush my decision, but I also want to make it in a timely manner because you have things like summer school coming up."
Henson came off the bench in 31 games and averaged 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 18.6 minutes per game this past season at Tulane, though he came on strong at the very end.
In his final three games, Henson averaged 14 points and 4.3 rebounds. During that stretch, he also hit 17 of 21 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line.
"Any time you see your shot go in like that, it definitely raises your confidence," Henson said. "Besides that it didn't seem like I was doing anything that much different. My shot was finally falling."
As a freshman in 2013-14, Henson averaged 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds per game in 15.6 minutes per contest.
Sports on 05/10/2015