North Carolina State came into this season as a bit of a question mark, as isn't exactly loaded with frontline talent, but the Wolfpack does have some good players. Many people expected the Wolfpack to be in the hunt for an NCAA tournament berth, but in order to do that they would need their guys healthy, and that went out the window in the first game. Starting shooting guard Terry Henderson injured his ankle just seven minutes into the season opener, a loss against William & Mary, and it is being reported now that he may not be back until February, according to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports.
Henderson tore ligaments in his right ankle when he landed awkwardly. Initially he was given a six-eight-week timetable for a return, but now it seems like he might need longer. Head coach Mark Gottfried thinks Henderson will likely be out until at least late January, and a February return is possible as well. The eight-week mark would be the middle of January which doesn't seem all that plausible anymore.
Henderson is in his first season at NC State after transferring from West Virginia. The 6-foot-5 guard started the first game of the season for the Wolfpack and was expected to play a big role for the team and they have missed him, specifically his three-point shooting ability. Without Henderson, NC State has only two players that shoot three-pointers in Caleb Martin and Maverick Rowan, as nobody besides them has attempted more than nine.
Henderson was a three-star recruit out of Raleigh, N.C., and wasn't exactly highly touted, but in his final season at West Virginia he averaged 11.7 points per game while making 38 percent of his threes, which made him an attractive option for Gottfried. Henderson impressed Gottfried this offseason with his hard work to the point that Gottfried made him a starter and expected big things from him, but now he will likely not be able to play until the middle of the ACC schedule.
In Henderson's absence the Wolfpack have gotten good play from the freshman Rowan and Cody Martin, but the injury forced Gottfried to accelerate Rowan's progress and hurt NC State's depth. Lately Gottfried has only been going with a seven-man rotation, and that is certainly not ideal, so NC State needs Henderson back as soon as possible.
