HENKE HAS ADDED SUBSTANCE TO STYLE

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Feb 26, 2008 | by JAKE SCHALLER

During his first two seasons at Air Force and for much of the 2007-08 campaign, junior guard/forward Andrew Henke was brilliant and frustrating -- often in consecutive possessions.

A rainbow 3-pointer that splashed softly through the hoop would precede a turnover. A nifty back-door pass would be followed by an ill-advised foul.

But recently, something seems to have clicked for one of the most highly regarded recruits in Air Force basketball history. Henke, all of a sudden, has become poised and steady while still playing with much of the flash and excitement that defined his finest moments.

In the Falcons' past five games, Henke averaged 13.8 points, nearly doubling what he averaged in the first eight games of the Mountain West Conference season (7.4). He also pulled down 5.2 rebounds per game (up from 3.3).

And while Henke averaged 32.4 minutes in the past five games (up from 24.1 in the previous eight), he's been more efficient.

He has shot 51.1 percent, including 52.2 percent from 3-point range -- 10.2 and 18.9 percent higher, respectively, than he shot in the first eight league games. And he's averaging nearly twice as many assists per game (2.4, up from 1.3) while making half as many turnovers (1.4, down from 2.8).

"There's been a difference -- I guess you could say things are clicking," the 6-foot-6 Henke said. "I don't know really what happened, but, yeah, the game almost seems slower, and things are just coming to me a little easier."

One reason is that Henke no longer is a one-dimensional offensive threat. Henke ranks third all-time at Air Force in 3-point shooting percentage (41.6), but opponents began to recognize that this year and did their best to deny him opportunities from the perimeter. Now Henke is faking the 3-points shot and either driving to the basket or pulling up from mid-range.

In the Falcons' 61-59 victory over Colorado State on Saturday, he made 2 of 5 3-pointers. He also faked a 3-pointer to lose a defender before drilling a 15-foot pull-up jumper. And he faked a perimeter shot and drove for a layup while drawing a foul.

"I guess you could call it diversification," he said. "It's tougher for teams to guard me when I'm not just shooting the ball.... I added that penetration part to my game, and that's really helped."

In addition, Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds said Henke is making better decisions. And Henke admits he's "dialed it back" with passes that straddle the line between highlight and disaster.

"He's really made an effort to cut down on turnovers," Reynolds said.

Finally, Henke -- called "an emotional player" by Reynolds -- has done a better job of keeping those emotions in check.

He still will shout and celebrate with his teammates after a big play, but he complains less to officials after getting called for fouls.

"It seems like he has settled down a bit," Air Force senior Eric Kenzik said. "He looks comfortable out there."

"You want positive emotion, I guess, is what coach calls it," Henke said. "So when you're hitting shots and playing well, take that positive emotion and take our home crowd or what have you and let it play to your advantage. But then when some of the negative stuff happens, you've got to just block it out and stay even-keeled or even turn it into a positive."

All of a sudden, Henke's doing just that.

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