Is there going to be some good news for Miami basketball in the near future? It looks that way, as Miami could now be the frontrunner for former Duke five-star small forward signee Shelton Henderson. Head coach Jai Lucas was the primary recruiter for Henderson as an assistant at Duke. Henderson asked for a release from his national letter of intent on Thursday.
The 2025 247Sports composite rankings list Henderson as the No. 21 prospect nationally, the No. 4 small forward and the No. 2 player in Texas. Henderson initially signed with Duke in November. Henderson attends the same Houston high school, Bellaire, that Lucas graduated from.
Colby Giacubeno of Inside Maryland Sports wasted no time in logging in a crystal ball pick for Miami to land Henderson on Friday morning. Lucas is building a late 2025 Miami class. Miami received commitments from four-star combo guard Dante Allen and Slovakian small forward Timotej Malovec earlier this week.
This past season, Henderson averaged 21.0 points per game, 7.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.6 steals and 1.1 blocks while shooting 54.7 percent from the field. He also shot 32.1 percent on 3-point attempts and 61.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Five-star SF Shelton Henderson and Duke have parted ways, sources tells @247Sports.
— Travis Branham (@TravisBranham_) April 18, 2025
Henderson has been released from his NLI and he has reopened his recruitment. || Story: https://t.co/hBPlaVi0yT pic.twitter.com/qXk9FbooVJ
Miami is considered the early favorite to sign 5-star Duke decommit Shelton Henderson
Henderson signed with Duke over Louisville and Texas. Hometown Houston could be another program to watch for Henderson. Miami is the program being mentioned most often for Henderson after he and Duke parted ways. Power Forward Nate Ament is the only other 2025 five-star prospect now uncommitted.
Lucas has done an exceptional job putting together a roster early. There is still a long way to go to fill out the 2025-26 squad. Miami has commitments from four transfers plus Allen and Malovec. Small forward is a position of need for Miami and Henderson would have an opportunity to compete to be a starter immediately.
Point guard Tre Henderson from Michigan via Auburn, shooting guard Tru Washington from New Mexico, power forward Malik Reneau from Indiana and center Ernest Udeh Jr. from TCU via Kansas have all transferred to Miami over the last month.