CHARLOTTE — John Henson has the smile that makes a mother’s heart melt the first time she’s introduced to the new boyfriend.
He had every reason to display his boyish grin after sinking his 26th point with 16:49 remaining in the second half.
And as he jogged down the court, he kept that smile on his face nearly ten seconds into the shot clock — even playing defense with the look of content.
“It’s not a regular smile — it’s the cheesiest smile,” UNC’s Leslie McDonald said. “I tell him his head is already small so his smile takes up all his head.”
Henson smiled all the way to a career-high 28 points in his NCAA tournament debut against the Long Island Blackbirds. He tallied buckets on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the line to go along with his 11 rebounds.
He and fellow big man Tyler Zeller took advantage of their height against an undersized LIU team. Henson topped the Blackbirds’ tallest starter by three inches and tied a team NCAA tournament record six blocks.
“We always try to focus on throwing the basketball inside,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “We’ve done that ever since I started coaching. I think those guys produce and all of a sudden those outside shots start to be more open.”
Henson got his career high before the Tar Heels went into the halftime locker room with 20 points. But in the first half, Henson found himself on the floor just as many times as he was above the rim.
A Jamal Olasewere elbow to the face made Henson take a seat. A few possessions later he fell down while making a lay up in the process.