Michigan State Basketball: Aaron Henry’s rapid progression has him in rare air

Aaron Henry improved as the 2018-19 season wound down and his rapid progression could mean big things for Michigan State basketball.

There’s a reason Gary Harris vouched for Aaron Henry out of high school even though he wasn’t the typical four or five-star recruit that Tom Izzo usually targeted.

Listed as a three-star prospect by a number of recruiting services, Henry wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American, nor did he receive a ton of accolades out of high school but one coach treated him like a priority above the rest which is why Izzo won him over.

Henry possessed elite athleticism for a wing and his body was already college-ready, as seen before the season began at the Michigan State Madness event. He wasn’t built like your typical freshman, he had muscle, definition and wasn’t intimidated by the increased speed and size of his opponents.

But when the season began and he started earning important minutes, there were times where he would freeze up or produce silly turnovers. His mind was moving too fast and he was in his own head, creating an early-to-mid season freshman slump.

In fact, he didn’t record his first double-figure scoring game until Jan. 21 and struggled shooting the ball until the beginning of March when he really caught fire. He had three double-digit scoring performances in the month of March and shot 9-for-18 from beyond the arc after making just six threes in the first few months of his freshman year.

Henry’s rapid progression in March could put him in rare air as he had that feel of a budding star in Izzo’s system. He could follow in the footsteps of a couple of other Spartan greats who made Michigan State fans furious with turnovers and average play as freshmen such as Denzel Valentine, Draymond Green and Cassius Winston.

Heck, even college basketball expert Andy Katz has high hopes for Henry in 2019-20.

Now that’s some seriously high praise.

The sky is the limit for Henry and the scary part is that he has just scratched the surface. Not just any kid makes an impression on an expert like Katz after averaging just 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in year one, but Henry is cut from a different cloth.