Further thoughts on Pierria' Henry from the RTD and assistant coach Cliff Jackson

Tim Pearell of the Richmond Times-Dispatch got some material that didn't make it into the print article on Henry's commitment to VCU. He put the remaining material on his blog online. Here is the link.

It says that doctors told Henry he could have lost the leg or even died had he waited longer to have surgery. He won't be able to bear weight on the leg for the next 2 months and will be fully recovered in 6 months in time for the beginning of basketball season.

“It did make me appreciate things even more. I look at life differently now. You never know what tomorrow brings. You never know when the last time is you get to speak to anybody. I make sure my last words to everybody are, ‘I love you.’”

Thoughts from South Charleston assistant Cliff Jackson:

“In the long run, I think they’ve gotten themselves a pretty darn good player. The last two years Pierria’ has fiddled with football. He was getting some decent football looks, too. I just wonder how good Perry could be in a year-round, 12-month basketball situation.

“When he gets that individual attention, I just think his offensive skills will just get so much better.”

“He’s such a great defender. [Recruiters] liked his ability to play the point and score a little bit, but they were just amazed at how he defended and his willingness to play hard the whole time.”

“Probably his biggest strength is his competitiveness. He’s a go-getter and refuses to lose.”

“His leadership was very valuable this year. He leads by example. He’s not a very boisterous person. He just pretty much leads by his play and his competitiveness.”

Everything we're hearing seems to reinforce that this kid is a class individual in addition to being a great player. This seems to be a pattern for the types of kids Coach Smart is bringing in whereas Coach Grant would take chances on guys who were not so well-mannered and mature. Guys like DJ Haley (3.8 GPA), Juvonte Reddic (3.5), and Pierria Henry (3.25) seem to be solid in the classroom as well. All nice things to see if you are a VCU fan.