Is good news on the horizon for Miami basketball? It certainly seems that way, as the Hurricanes could be emerging as the new frontrunner for former Duke five-star small forward signee Shelton Henderson. Head coach Jai Lucas, who was the lead recruiter for Henderson during his time as an assistant at Duke, may now have the inside track. Henderson officially requested a release from his national letter of intent on Thursday.
According to the 2025 247Sports composite rankings, Henderson is the No. 21 overall prospect in the country, the No. 4 small forward, and the No. 2 player in Texas. He initially signed with Duke in November and currently plays at Bellaire High School in Houston—the same school Lucas once attended.
Colby Giacubeno of Inside Maryland Sports quickly logged a crystal ball prediction for Miami to land Henderson on Friday morning. Lucas is working on a strong finish to Miami’s 2025 recruiting class, which recently added four-star combo guard Dante Allen and Slovakian small forward Timotej Malovec.
Last season, Henderson put up impressive numbers: 21.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.7 percent from the field. He also hit 32.1 percent from three and 61.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Miami Emerging as Early Favorite to Land 5-Star Duke Decommit Shelton Henderson
Miami is quickly gaining traction as the early frontrunner to sign five-star small forward Shelton Henderson, who recently decommitted from Duke. Henderson originally chose the Blue Devils over Louisville and Texas, but with his recruitment reopened, hometown Houston could also be a contender. Still, Miami is the program generating the most buzz in connection with Henderson since his departure from Duke.
Henderson is one of just two uncommitted five-star prospects in the 2025 class, along with power forward Nate Ament. His position aligns perfectly with one of Miami’s biggest roster needs, and he’d likely have a chance to compete for a starting role right away.
Head coach Jai Lucas has done an impressive job assembling a roster early in the cycle, though there’s still work to do to round out the 2025-26 squad. Miami has already secured commitments from four transfers—point guard Tre Henderson (Auburn/Michigan), shooting guard Tru Washington (New Mexico), power forward Malik Reneau (Indiana), and center Ernest Udeh Jr. (TCU/Kansas)—in addition to high school prospects Dante Allen and Timotej Malovec.
Landing Henderson would be a major boost to a growing class and a key piece in Miami’s push for national relevance.
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