Local principal accepts D1 college hoops coaching gig

Henderson led Catholic Central to 21-5 mark in ’13-14

By Mike Ramczyk

Sports Editor

Catholic Central Principal Eric Henderson will be making quite the leap later this year.

The former college basketball player and coach will be stepping down as Catholic Central boys basketball coach next season and returning to his college roots.

Henderson will go from a Division 5 high school basketball coach to a full-time assistant coach with Division 1 North Dakota State University.

Yes, that North Dakota State University, the one that knocked off fifth-seeded Oklahoma as a No. 12 seed during this year’s March Madness.

Henderson was an assistant coach for three years at Wayne State, where he helped the Wildcats to back-to-back NCAA Division 2 tournament appearances as a player. He averaged 11 points and 11 rebounds in his senior season.

Then, Henderson was a graduate manager for three years at Division 1 Iowa State University. At both Wayne State and Iowa State, Henderson worked under head coach Greg McDermott.

Now, Henderson will be an assistant under North Dakota State head coach David Richman, who will be in his first season after replacing Saul Phillips.

“It is a great opportunity to get back into Division 1 basketball,” Henderson said via email. “My college coach (McDermott) and Coach Richman thought I would be a great fit on the staff, and it kind of evolved from there.”

Richman was associate head coach for the Bison the past seven years.

Henderson is coming off a 21-5 record with Catholic Central in 2013-14, and he spent the past five seasons with the Toppers.

After four sub-.500 seasons, Catholic Central advanced to a Division 5 sectional semifinal in March.

The Toppers finished in second place in the ultra-competitive Metro Classic Conference.

Though his intention wasn’t to leave, Henderson said he couldn’t pass up on a dream job.

“It is not that I was looking to leave,” Henderson said. “I was in a great situation but I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to coach with Dave Richman, the Head Coach at NDSU, who shares the same passion for the game of basketball and is a high-character guy. North Dakota State has a rich athletic tradition and a tremendous group of guys that have great chemistry.”

Henderson said it was an “extremely difficult decision” to leave Catholic Central. He will always consider himself a Topper.

“I love Catholic Central and will forever be grateful how they welcomed my family,” Henderson said. “Catholic Central is such a unique and special place. The people associated with CCHS are unbelievable, and I will always consider this place a part of who I am.”

Five years ago, Henderson said he was much more of an intense coach. He said Catholic Central helped him settle down, mature and pick his moments. He added that he has become much more diverse in his coaching philosophy.

“The Metro Classic is a great league with tremendous athletes and high-quality coaches,” Henderson said. “It was a challenge every night. Having the head coaching experience will be extremely valuable for my future.”

Henderson was an integral part of the Topper community as both principal and basketball coach. He said he will miss the students the most.

“I will miss many aspects of Catholic Central, the generous alumni, unbelievable staff and faculty, supportive parents, but mostly the students,” Henderson said. “The students are some of the most hard-working and motivated people I have ever been around. They are certainly the foundation of CCHS and will make it a fantastic school for many more generations.”

On North Dakota State’s official athletic website, www.gobison.com, Richman had this to say about Henderson.

“Eric’s passion for the game and enthusiasm for life are infectious and will translate extremely well into our Bison basketball program,” said Richman. “We look forward to welcoming Eric, his wife Alicia, and their boys Kooper and Kort to the Fargo-Moorhead community and the NDSU family.”

The Toppers return three starters next season, Gavin Foote, Spencer Wilker and Ben Heiligenthal, all of whom received all-conference honors last season.

No matter who takes over the Toppers’ top basketball job, he or she will inherit a solid winning foundation laid by Henderson and plenty of talent.