Freshman forward Shelton Henderson will be the foundation that Miami head coach Jai Lucas builds his 2026-27 roster around. Other key players with eligibility remaining for Miami are guards Dante Allen and Tru Washington.
Henderson scored 18 points on nine out of 11 from the field with eight rebounds, four assists and two steals in the 79-69 Miami loss to Purdue in the NCAA Tournament second round on Sunday. Henderson finished the season averaging 13.7 points per game, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 55.9 percent from the floor.
Miami signed Henderson after he was committed to Duke following Jai Lucas being hired by the Hurricanes in March 2025. Lucas was the primary recruiter for Henderson. Henderson and Lucas are both Bellaire, Texas, High School alums. Henderson was a four-star prospect and the 25th player and seventh small forward in the 2025 class.
Miami loses center point guard Tre Donaldson, leading scorer, power forward Malik Reneau and center Ernest Udeh from the 2025-26 roster. Lucas discussed recruiting Henderson, bringing him to Miami and what he had envisioned for him.
"This was always what I envisioned for him and this was my whole plan when for him when I recruited him the first time when I was at another school and then...him and his family just felt like coming to Miami was the best option and I'm happy he did."Miami head coach Jai Lucas
Who else returns for Miami in 2026-27
Miami hopes to return forwards Marcus Allen, who sat out most of the 2026-27 season with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Salih Altuntas and Timo Malovec. Some of those players could enter the Transfer Portal with the opportunity to earn more playing time with another program.
Miami signed five-star power forward Caleb Gaskins in the 2026 class. Expect Gaskins to replace Malik Reneau as the starting PF for Miami in 2026-27. Gaskins is the only signee in the 2026 Miami class. Lucas and his staff will likely pursue more 2026 signees and aggressively pursue transfers.