Michigan State University Athletics
Aaron Henry to Enter Name for 2021 NBA Draft
4/12/2021 5:24:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State men's basketball junior forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) announced today that he will submit his name for the 2021 NBA Draft and plans to sign with an agent.
"Coach Izzo and the staff at Michigan State are great teachers and leaders and I thank them for bringing me in and making me part of the Spartan Family," Henry said in a statement. "I've spent three great years in East Lansing and my teammates are my brothers. We've shared a lot of highs, and some lows too, and I would not want to experience them with anyone but the guys who have been on this team during my time here.
"This year, we didn't get to experience Spartan Nation and the Izzone and we missed our fans, but I know they were always there for me and my teammates. We created memories together at the Breslin Center that I will never forget."
Henry was selected to the All-Big Ten Conference Third Team by the coaches and the media, was selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team by the conference's coaches and was named to the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District V team.
A tri-captain, he led MSU in scoring (15.4 ppg), assists (3.6 apg), steals (1.3 spg) and minutes played (32.5 mpg), was tied for the team lead in rebounds (5.6 rpg) and was second on the team in blocks (1.3 bpg). He finished 10th in the Big Ten in scoring, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, sixth in steals, ninth in blocked shots, 11th in assists, 14th in assist/turnover ratio and eighth in minutes played. Henry scored in double figures in 26 of 28 games, including the last 15 games. He scored at least 20 points seven times, including a career-high 27 point twice (at Nebraska on Jan. 2 and at Indiana on Feb. 20).
Henry was one of only two players in Division I to average at least 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
"Aaron making the decision to put his name in for the NBA Draft this year is not surprising and is something I fully support,' Izzo said. "He and his family went through the exploration process last year and came away with a much better understanding of what he'd need to do in order to make the next step for his basketball career. Like every college player, Aaron had to go through many adjustments in his workout and practice schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the hurdles he had to go through, Aaron led our team in virtually every statistical category and, in my mind, was one of the best players in the Big Ten Conference. I know Aaron is determined to make this next step in his career and I'm going to give him all the help that I can so that he can achieve his dreams.
"Aaron made great contributions to our team over the last three years, from a tremendous run in the NCAA Tournament on the way to the Final Four in 2019 to doing just about everything for us this year as we won some big games down the stretch and reached the postseason for the 23rd-straight year. We will miss him, but can't wait to see his future."
In 97 career games (with 77 starts), Henry averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 76.2 percent from 3-point land . He finished his career with 967 points.
"Coach Izzo and the staff at Michigan State are great teachers and leaders and I thank them for bringing me in and making me part of the Spartan Family," Henry said in a statement. "I've spent three great years in East Lansing and my teammates are my brothers. We've shared a lot of highs, and some lows too, and I would not want to experience them with anyone but the guys who have been on this team during my time here.
"This year, we didn't get to experience Spartan Nation and the Izzone and we missed our fans, but I know they were always there for me and my teammates. We created memories together at the Breslin Center that I will never forget."
Henry was selected to the All-Big Ten Conference Third Team by the coaches and the media, was selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team by the conference's coaches and was named to the United States Basketball Writers Association All-District V team.
A tri-captain, he led MSU in scoring (15.4 ppg), assists (3.6 apg), steals (1.3 spg) and minutes played (32.5 mpg), was tied for the team lead in rebounds (5.6 rpg) and was second on the team in blocks (1.3 bpg). He finished 10th in the Big Ten in scoring, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, sixth in steals, ninth in blocked shots, 11th in assists, 14th in assist/turnover ratio and eighth in minutes played. Henry scored in double figures in 26 of 28 games, including the last 15 games. He scored at least 20 points seven times, including a career-high 27 point twice (at Nebraska on Jan. 2 and at Indiana on Feb. 20).
Henry was one of only two players in Division I to average at least 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 blocks per game.
"Aaron making the decision to put his name in for the NBA Draft this year is not surprising and is something I fully support,' Izzo said. "He and his family went through the exploration process last year and came away with a much better understanding of what he'd need to do in order to make the next step for his basketball career. Like every college player, Aaron had to go through many adjustments in his workout and practice schedule because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the hurdles he had to go through, Aaron led our team in virtually every statistical category and, in my mind, was one of the best players in the Big Ten Conference. I know Aaron is determined to make this next step in his career and I'm going to give him all the help that I can so that he can achieve his dreams.
"Aaron made great contributions to our team over the last three years, from a tremendous run in the NCAA Tournament on the way to the Final Four in 2019 to doing just about everything for us this year as we won some big games down the stretch and reached the postseason for the 23rd-straight year. We will miss him, but can't wait to see his future."
In 97 career games (with 77 starts), Henry averaged 10.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and 76.2 percent from 3-point land . He finished his career with 967 points.
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