Fort Myers High School grad leads her college basketball team to a national title

Reporter: Andrea Guerrero Writer: Drew Hill
Published: Updated:
Destanni Henderson then and now
Destanni Henderson then and now

A hometown hero has led her team to a national title. Fort Myers High School graduate Destanni Henderson had one of the best games of her career in the NCAA championship game on Sunday Night.

She helped her South Carolina Gamecocks overcome a women’s basketball powerhouse in the UConn Huskies. But, her high school coach believed she was ready to win big from the beginning.

She drained jumper after jumper. “This is beautiful. I thought she had an aggressive attack mentality.”

And that attacked mentality is how Destanni “Henny” Henderson helped lead South Carolina to its second women’s basketball national championship. The Fort Myers High School grad finished the game with a career-high 26 points in the Gamecocks’ win over the Huskies.

“It’s just even more of a blessing and just an honor to do it in a special moment that we’re all going to remember,” said Henderson.

Henderson’s high school coach, Chadrick Terrell, remembers when the Gamecock once wore a green jersey. He says that she may be quiet off the court, but on the court she’s fearless. “She shows up in the big moments, and it was kind of exciting to see that on the biggest stage last night,” said Coach Terrell.

Terrell said he thought he’d be nervous watching his former star player but instead, he was proud. “It’s just exciting. It’s always exciting. That’s what you do this for. You don’t get paid a lot of money to do it,” Terrell said. “But that’s the reason you do it to seek has reached their dreams and fulfill those dreams that they’ve been thinking about since they were young.”

“It was a journey that led me to this moment,” Henderson said. “It was easy to trust the process. Had to believe and buy into my role.”

In a postgame interview, Henderson said she focused on playing for her “why,” and her why made her into a 2022 national champion.

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