NU freshmen athlete shows leadership on basketball teamBy Mike Legere "High school basketball was my life," said Geoff Hensley, an 18-year-old freshman international studies major from Cincinnati, Ohio. "I played every day. That's what I was known for all around Cincinnati. Here, it kind of took the back seat." In high school, Hensley set both the three-point and free throw records. During the summer he played on the AAU team (Amateur Athletic Union), which consisted of only the best high school basketball players in the Cincinnati area. Hensley told his parents at the beginning of the year not to have any high basketball expectations for him. He said that instead he had plans for the Navy to fulfill and the responsibilities of the corps to deal with. When the men's basketball season began, the surprising skills of Geoff Hensley on the basketball court were shocking and very encouraging. Geoff hadn't planned to put so much effort into basketball, but when he started playing, he realized how much he missed it and wanted to put in his full effort. "Geoff was a big surprise coming in, but once he was playing I think everyone kind of knew how good he was and what he could do during the games," said Andy Miller, a 21-year-old junior environmental science major from Fort Collins, Colo. "Its encouraging. We haven't had a freshman contributor since I have been here, a big time contributor," Miller said. "Geoff played point guard; that means he was our leader on the floor," said Matt Johnson, a 20-year-old junior mechanical engineering major from Fish Kill, NY. "We counted on him to get the ball up the floor and make big shots and basically be the guy to keep everything together. "He had an awesome season. He shot the ball great and barely ever turned the ball over. He played real solid." Johnson said. "He's definitely someone who can make plays down the stretch," Miller said. "There's a lot of games where he made plays when we needed people to step up." Geoff Hensley is one of the most valuable players on the team, but not just because of his basketball skills. His personality and self-motivation inspire the team to go out and give it their best. "He is one of the hardest working guys on the team," Johnson said. "He's motivated by leading with his actions." His hard work and tenacity on the floor made other people want to work hard. On the court, people were able to look at him and follow his lead. Off the court, he was always in the locker room joking around, keeping morale up. "He played with a lot of poise and played as an upperclassman, almost," Miller explained. "He leads by example, because he expects a lot from himself." "Geoff held a large part of the team on his shoulders for being a freshman and being in the corps of cadets," said Christopher Sylvain, a 21-year-old junior criminal justice major from Amherst, Mass. "A lot of the guys that were civilians on the team looked up to Geoff, because he was in the corps of cadets having to deal with both pressures of basketball and the corps. "It gave them more motivation to go out there and practice harder," Sylvain said. The men's basketball season is now over, after they lost in the semi finals of the conference tournament on Febr. 28. The team finished the season 14-12, which blows away last year's record of 6-18. Next year, the team expects to do even better, Miller said. "Geoff will be a huge influence," said Miller. "He's going to kind of be running the show." Steve Chambers, 20, a sophomore from Springfield, Mass, said that, "Geoff is the future, and he holds the key to our team winning our conference. "With the suspension of Dominque Jones, Geoff stepped in and filled some really big shoes, and he really surprised many of us and the coaches. "Geoff hit some really big shots down the stretch for the team, and I hope that he will continue to help this team in a positive way for years to come," said Chambers. "The expectations for next year are real high," said Johnson. |
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