Latest news with #EricHenderson
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC commit Andrew Williams proves the City Section still has football talent
It was 7 a.m., and Fremont High's Andrew Williams was sleeping at his grandmother's house in South Los Angeles when she woke him up to tell him a USC football coach wanted to speak to him on her cellphone before he went to school. Williams will never forget that moment on Feb. 12. Defensive line coach Eric Henderson was calling to officially offer him a scholarship to play for the Trojans. Advertisement 'You don't believe it until you see it,' he said. 'When he told me in his tone and how serious he was, I knew it was real. It was destiny calling. It took me a couple hours to reflect what was going on. I was stunned.' By lunch time in the school quad, while surrounded by friends and classmates, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Williams was calling Henderson to tell him, 'I'm ready to become a Trojan.' Henderson replied, 'Hold on. I have someone who wants to speak to you.' Coach Lincoln Riley joined the called. 'He said, 'We're so excited to have you here.' It was genuine,' he said. Fremont High senior Andrew Williams has shown his versatility as a defensive end, tight end and fullback. (Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times) Williams was so unknown in the recruiting world before committing to USC last February that he said, 'I wasn't mentioned by any recruiting sites. I had no stars. Honestly it didn't make me feel any different. I was the same player before the stars and without the stars. Most people still don't know about me.' Advertisement He said a three-touchdown, 10-tackle performance as a junior against L.A. Jordan last fall while playing fullback, defensive end and receiver caught the attention of Colorado State assistant Chad Savage, who later joined USC as an assistant. Recruiting players from inner city Los Angeles used to be a priority for USC and UCLA. Fremont grad Ricky Bell, a star running back for USC, has his name on the Pathfinders' stadium. Fremont grad Mark Bradford was a star receiver at Stanford. Crenshaw has sent numerous players to USC and UCLA. Dorsey's head coach, Stafon Johnson, was a standout running back for the Trojans. But a drop in talent in the City Section has made identifying potential success stories more difficult. Williams, who has a 3.8 grade point average and plans to graduate in December, said he hopes to be part of the start of a rebirth in championing players from the inner city. 'I'm comfortable with people looking up to me,' he said. 'Somebody in the city is actually doing it. Just as I can do it, so can you.' Advertisement He doesn't doubt the road ahead remains difficult. "I feel I was one of the least privileged kids," he said. "To have the opportunity I'm doing now. … If I was another 6-5 kid that wasn't from South Central, I would have been known. They would have shot me up the rankings. They don't show that in the city I love. That's cool. That's for them to keep sleeping on us." Read more: Garfield, Roosevelt prepare to open new football stadiums this fall Living 10 blocks from Fremont with his grandmother since he was 7, Williams said he didn't discover football until his freshman year. He said he had too much free time until reaching high school and finding something to focus on. Advertisement 'Have you heard the saying, 'People get stuck and lost in the system?' People become a product of their environment," he said. "I needed time to figure my way out. I came to a realization when I came to high school that something was going to have to happen.' With his height, athleticism — he can dunk — and agility — he also ran track — USC will watch him this fall to see whether his position will be tight end or defensive end. He's a raw, intriguing prospect with lots of room to become stronger. First-year Fremont coach Derek Benton was the coach at Jordan last season when Williams had his big game. "He made his mark against me, then I knew and heard about him and it was one of the attractions coming here," he said. "I'm very impressed with Andrew as a person." Advertisement All Williams wanted was an opportunity to get a degree in college. He wants to study communications and learn about sports broadcasting. He said he didn't need to visit multiple colleges or seek attention from social media. The USC offer was enough. 'Football teaches you can't expect results without work,' he said. 'People expect things in life, but they don't put the work in. That's a lesson football teaches you. It teaches unity, leadership, how to treat others.' He has been rewarded for making good decisions and surrounding himself with people who want to see him succeed. All he's ever wanted was a chance to prove himself. 'I'm doing my thing,' he said. Advertisement Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
USC Assistant Earns Prominent Honor After Securing Newest Commit
USC Assistant Earns Prominent Honor After Securing Newest Commit originally appeared on Athlon Sports. USC's aggressive recruiting tactics wouldn't be made possible without the coaches not named Lincoln Riley. Positional coaches on the Trojans staff have helped solidify major recruiting wins. One now earned a prominent honor after securing the latest verbal commitment. Advertisement USC landed four-star Luke Wafle on Thursday, securing the state of New Jersey's top-ranked prospect in the process. Wafle's commitment featured Eric Henderson as the point man in his recruitment. Now the defensive line coach for USC holds a new title: The No. 1 recruiter in the nation by 247Sports. Henderson even leaped three spots to take the top of the list. USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley. Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images "Hendo" hopped over a past beloved USC assistant and former interim head coach in Donte Williams, who's currently recruiting for Georgia. Williams is now No. 2 on the list. Henderson has wrapped up multiple recruiting wins outside of Wafle. He and assistant defensive line coach Shaun Nua secured Simote Katoanga during the spring -- who was one of the first four-star defensive line commits for the Trojans class. Advertisement Jaimeon Winfield rose as another Henderson recruit for USC. The four-star joined the Trojans in March. "Hendo" even helped flip Oregon four-star pledge Tomuhini Topui in April. Henderson came over to USC via the Los Angeles Rams. He owns one Super Bowl ring with the franchise from the 2021 season. He's best known for turning Aaron Donald into one of the league's premier defensive tackles. USC is well-represented in the football recruiter rankings for 247Sports. Secondary coach Doug Belk ranks behind Williams at No. 3. Tight ends coach Zach Hanson is the third inside the top 10 at No. 9. Inside wide receivers coach Chad Savage ranks 12th. Related: Incoming USC Edge Rusher Explains Why Trojans Won Over Ohio State, Penn State This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Birmingham police arrest suspect in connection to 2021 homicide following vehicle pursuit
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Members of the Birmingham Police Department's Special Operations Bureau's Specialized Teams have apprehended a suspect wanted for failing to appear on a murder warrant connected to the 2021 murder of Eric Henderson. According to the BPD, the Specialized Teams officers observed Elantra Bass, 26, of Birmingham while working on a scheduled graduation detail. The officers attempted to make a traffic stop at the intersection of Bessemer Road and Avenue W., but Bass fled in his vehicle, resulting in a brief vehicle pursuit. Birmingham police arrest 17-year-old suspect in connection to February homicide investigation Bass entered Interstate 65 North, and he exited his vehicle near 16th Street, fleeing on foot across the interstate. Officers successfully apprehended him in the 1300 block of 6th Street North. Bass will be booked into the Jefferson County Jail on his outstanding murder warrant. He has no bond. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Eric Henderson era begins at Drake
DES MOINES, IOWA (KELO) — Former SDSU men's basketball coach Eric Henderson was officially introduced as the new head coach at Drake University Monday morning. 'I knew that if I was offered this job, I did have to call my wife first, but I did know that this is the place that I wanted to be,' Henderson said. Henderson, who spent the last six seasons as head coach of the Jacks, returns to his home state of Iowa and assumes the reigns of one of the top mid-major programs in the country. The Bulldogs have made four NCAA Tournaments in the last five years, but his choice went beyond the hoops history. 'People are the most important thing when I think about decisions,' Henderson said. 'The enthusiasm, the energy that is surrounding Drake basketball and Drake athletics for that matter is incredible, and I wanted to be a part of that.' During Henderson's tenure leading South Dakota State, the team ranked in the top-10 nationally in both conference win percentage and home-court win percentage. Add on a pair of trips to the Big Dance, and his experience made him the ideal candidate. 'What we needed was to have somebody who had done it before,' Drake Director of Athletics Brian Hardin said. 'Somebody who had called timeouts in an NCAA Tournament game, who has run a program and who knows what it's like to lose kids in the portal, to go out there and rebuild your roster that way, to not do things in theory, but actually have done it in practice. He separated himself from a really qualify group as the best person at the right time to lead our program.' 'Love this opportunity:' Petersen takes over at SDSU A former high school principal, the 46-year-old emphasized how the role of a coach goes beyond the wins and losses. 'In our program, we're not going to talk a lot about, 'hey, we have to win a championship. We have to do this. We have to do that to be successful,'' Henderson said. 'It's way more important for us to think about what habits are we building on a daily basis.' SDSU replaced Henderson with assistant coach Bryan Petersen, who was introduced on Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Des Moines City Council approves changes to Merle Hay Mall hockey arena project
DES MOINES, Iowa — The Des Moines City Council on Monday voted to approve changes to the Merle Hay Mall hockey arena project. In 2021 the mall and the Des Moines Buccaneers announced a multi-million-dollar project to build a 3,500-seat ice hockey arena that leaders hoped would rejuvenate the surrounding area. But in July, roughly two years after the project broke ground, the Buccaneers pulled out of the project citing its cost and contractual issues. Cooper DeJean, teammates to compete in charity softball game at Principal Park After nearly a year of the project being stalled, the mall announced that it would go on with the project with a few changes and new tenants. According to mall leaders, the plans now include just one sheet of ice, sports courts, and pickleball courts. Those who would use the multi-use space would include the Drake Hockey Team, Iowa Demon Hawks, and others. In order to continue with the project, the Des Moines City Council and Urbandale City Council have to approve the amended project application for state funding. The project jumped through one of those hurdles on Monday with the Des Moines City Council's stamp of approval. The Urbandale City Council is expected to vote on the amendment on April 15. Metro News: Des Moines City Council approves changes to Merle Hay Mall hockey arena project Ankeny police requests help locating missing teen 1 dog killed in Ankeny house fire Monday Drake welcomes new men's basketball coach Eric Henderson Renaissance Faire returns to Ames next weekend Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
