Destanni Henderson’s patience leads to career-best performance in national title game
Dawn Staley calls South Carolina senior point guard Destanni Henderson a quiet soul, a smooth operator.
Henderson trusted the process, waiting two years behind Tyasha Harris for her turn to emerge on the Gamecocks’ roster. Staley said Henderson could’ve left South Carolina, but she never wavered.
Henderson’s arrival as an offensive catalyst in USC’s 64-49 national championship victory over UConn didn’t come as a surprise, as she scored a career-high 26 points to cap off her college career.
Henderson had been a steady factor in the Gamecocks’ success throughout their 2021-22 campaign, but Staley said her point guard’s mindset changed for the NCAA tournament.
“She had a different look this tournament because she knew it was going to be her last tournament,” Staley said. “Each and every game, whether she had great performances or not, she was locked in.”
Henderson actually didn’t know she finished her USC career with her best offensive output. Once people started telling her about it, she said the milestone just added to blessings of a moment she’ll remember forever.
She proceeded to go into gratitude — for her teammates getting her into the position to score, for Staley putting her in the position to succeed.
“I feel like it was a journey that led me to this moment,” Henderson said. “It’s easy to trust (Staley). It was easy to trust the process. I had to believe and had to buy into my role, and I feel like it was really worth it. She’s a great coach. You just really have to buy in, trust the process and great things will happen for you.”
From Staley’s vantage point, she hopes to see all her seniors end their careers the way Henderson did. Not necessarily with a national title — but with growth.
Henderson’s patience paid off, and memories from her time with South Carolina will remain long after the senior leaves the program.
“She’ll be the one that we’ll remember her performance,” Staley said. “We’ll remember her doing the job both offensively and defensively, and I just know whatever franchise gets her in the WNBA is going to get a good one.”
The time Henderson spent waiting for her moment led to her highlights.
“These last two years have been the best two years of college basketball for me,” she said.
This story was originally published April 4, 2022 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Destanni Henderson’s patience leads to career-best performance in national title game."
