High school basketball: College opportunity for Hennie – Salisbury Post

By Mike London
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SALISBURY — North Hills Christian University senior Matt Hennie closed the 2021-22 basketball time with a 25-position outburst against Victory Christian Centre and he is not accomplished with basketball still.

Hennie will be aspect of Pfeiffer University’s program in the fall.

North Hills coach Marvin Dixon, who starred at Salisbury Substantial, has been about the video game a lengthy time and has a ton of contacts. One particular of those contacts is Pfeiffer assistant mentor Don Spencer, and that led to a faculty possibility for Hennie, a late-blooming 6-foot-4 capturing guard.

Hennie went to Carson for three decades, taking part in two seasons on the jayvees. His junior calendar year he was varsity reserve who was pretty significantly down the bench throughout the season that was significantly shortened by COVID.

“I was a little dude when I bought to Carson, probably 5-f00t-10, getting some knee difficulties, and I definitely essential to get much better,” Hennie reported. “Coach (Brian) Perry is a good coach and I can’t  say something at all towards him or the program or the college. But heading into my senior calendar year, I was on the lookout for a greater opportunity to participate in and I had some buddies at North Hills.”

Basketball chance arrived at North Hills. All the minutes that Hennie could stand.

There are about 300 pupils enrolled in the college, but that selection is distribute out from kindergarten to seniors.

“I labored at basketball all summer and received prepared for my senior time,” Hennie explained. “Coach Dixon noticed a little something in me and instilled a ton of self confidence in me and I couldn’t have asked for much more prospect than I received. We had kind of a rocky time as a crew, taking part in versus some real quality teams, but I know I enhanced a lot.”

Hennie remembers building a extensive 3-pointer on opening night again in November as a personal turning issue.

There was a video game in December in which he bought scorching and scored 12 details in considerably less than two minutes. That fueled a lot more self confidence.

Largely, he was constant. He set lots of 11s, 12s and 13s in the North Hills scorebook and averaged double figures. Then he had that big, 25-point end in a tournament sport.

“I designed some 3s, but I was mainly concentrated on hoping to be a far better defender and I prided myself on protection,” Hennie explained. “I always tried to make it tough for my guy to score. Not a ton of people want to be terrific on defense, but I worked at it.”

In 2016, Pfeiffer began the process of transitioning from Division II to Division III athletics.

Pfeiffer is now a entire member of the Usa South Meeting and competes with faculties this sort of as Methodist, Averett and Greensboro.

As a D-III university, the Falcons no longer give conventional athletic scholarships, but they recruit robust students who are also very good athletes. About 75 % of D-III student-athletes receive assist dependent on both need or their educational efforts.

Hennie was impressed when he visited Pfeiffer.

“A pretty good campus and they appeared to care as substantially about me as a particular person as they did as a basketball participant,” Hennie stated.

Pfeiffer features a remarkably regarded 5-year software for college students to generate a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Leadership diploma and an MBA.

That’s Hennie’s long-variety purpose, but he also hopes to make some 3-tips and get some steals for the Falcons.

“I’m excited about the chance,” Hennie stated. “Coach Dixon considered in me and the North Hills school and learners took in the new male and manufactured me experience at home. North Hills was the ideal position for me.”