Orioles reset: Gunnar Henderson was shattering backboards in basketball before becoming MVP candidate

When Gunnar Henderson was on the court, no backboard was safe.

Before the Orioles’ 22-year-old phenom was manning shortstop at Camden Yards, before he was the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball, before he heard his name called as the 42nd overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, Henderson was a three-sport athlete at John T. Morgan Academy in Selma, Alabama.

During the fall, “G,” as many back home call him, was a mobile gunslinger of a quarterback who stayed on the field when the defense trotted out to shut down opposing wide receivers as a cornerback. He would swap out his cleats for sneakers in the winter, knocking down 3-pointers and dunking hard enough to shatter two of the school’s backboards throughout his high school career. After that, he then returned to the diamond and reached base more often than not while playing shortstop, one of the game’s toughest defensive positions.

“I’m a full believer in playing as many sports as you can,” Henderson said in the Orioles’ clubhouse shortly before he was named the American League Player of the Month for April. “When you start getting to the point of maybe your last high school year or something, if you really are a believer in one sport over the other. Obviously, play them all if you can, but I didn’t play football my 11th- and 12th-grade year. I didn’t feel like [the injury risk] was worth it.”

While he had to walk away from football, basketball remained an important part of Henderson’s life throughout high school. He played through a wrist injury during his junior baseball season before ultimately missing the second half because he had to undergo surgery. Henderson returned to the court his senior year and was named the Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) Player of the Year after averaging 17.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.2 assists per game. That same year, he won player of the year for baseball, too.

Henderson went just as hard during pickup games, twice resulting in shattered glass all over the Morgan Academy practice gym floor. The first time, the school had a spare backboard in storage that could replace it. The second time, Henderson’s father, Allen, stepped in to supply and install a new one.

“I think it was right before they were doing football and I wasn’t playing that year so just right before [their practice] I got one more dunk in and, of course, the one more dunk broke the backboard,” Henderson said of the first time it happened when he was a junior.

For his coaches, the backboard incidents only served as further evidence that Henderson was special. Between his impressive athletic ability and relentless work ethic, the teenage Henderson stood out.

“How he works in baseball, he did the same thing in basketball,” former Morgan Academy headmaster and basketball coach Mark Knight said in a phone interview. “He worked very hard to get everything he’s got and he’s got a lot of God-given ability but he worked extremely hard. I’ve been doing this 35 years and he’s the hardest working kid I’ve ever seen in 35 years.”

Henderson piled up the accolades, winning the AISA’s annual East-West all-star game Most Valuable Player award and leading the Senators to an Elite Eight appearance in their conference tournament. Knight ran an up-tempo system with the 6-foot-3 Henderson bouncing between every guard and forward position. While his production around the rim came naturally, he had to work for a consistent jump shot.

To help with that, Knight gave Henderson a key to the Senators’ gym, where he’d spend his weekends or early mornings practicing alone.

“We had one of those automatic Shoot-A-Ways that would rebound for you and he spent many hours in the gym working on his 3-point shot,” Knight said. “I told another kid, I said, ‘While y’all are out doing different things and partying, Gunnar was always home working out.’”

As that work ethic has translated to the major leagues, so have the agility skills he developed on the court. Henderson bounced back and forth between shortstop and third base last season as a rookie while the Orioles evaluated his defense. They saw enough and decided to keep him permanently at shortstop in 2024 to take full advantage of his talents.

Though he’s tall for a shortstop — only Corey Seager, Elly De La Cruz, Oneil Cruz and Carlos Correa are taller among everyday shortstops — Henderson’s lateral movements are much quicker than the average 220-pound player.

“I think that athleticism that he probably had in basketball certainly plays into it being a major league shortstop,” said third base coach Tony Mansolino, who oversees infield defense.

“The more you watch Gunnar, the speed and athleticism he has, I know [the 6-foot-4] Seager is a great athlete in his own right, but I think Gunnar is kind of a level above in those two things. He’s just so fast. He’s so explosive in the infield. Right now in the game, somebody that is that big and that athletic, he’s kind of a one-of-one in my eyes right now.”

Off to a historic start in his second full season with the Orioles, Henderson has begun to establish himself as one of Baltimore’s biggest stars and a serious candidate for AL MVP. But as big as the spotlight might get, he still keeps his hometown in mind. Henderson takes pride in being the first Morgan Academy alumnus to reach the majors and hopes to be “a good role model” for those coming up behind him in Selma.

The city is following along with “G” every step of the way.

“Everybody keeps up with Gunnar every night and watches on TV every night,” Knight said. “He’s the talk of the town.”

What’s to come?

The Battle of the Beltways and a battle between the reigning Rookies of the Year.

After a day off Monday, the Orioles end their road trip in Washington when they take on the Nationals for the first two games of a four-game season series. The Orioles (23-11) are 10-2-6 in the Beltway Series with an overall record of 55-39 against the Nationals (17-17).

After another day off Thursday, Baltimore welcomes the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks (15-20) to Camden Yards. The 2023 Rookies of the Year — Henderson in the American League and outfielder Corbin Carroll in the NL — will face off after opposite starts to the season. Henderson was the AL’s Player of the Month for March/April, while Carroll is hitting .203.

What was good?

The pitching.

Six Orioles starters took the mound last week, and they all pitched well. From the now-injured Grayson Rodriguez on Monday to Dean Kremer’s second start of the week Sunday, the rotation combined to pitch 42 2/3 innings and allow only 23 hits and five runs. The rotation’s ERA was 1.05, while its WHIP was 0.797.

Aside from Kimbrel on Saturday, the bullpen was lights-out, too, giving up only three runs in 20 1/3 innings. The pitching staff combined to surrender 33 hits and eight runs in 63 innings for an ERA of 1.14.

What wasn’t?

It wasn’t a perfect week. Kimbrel blew another save. Colton Cowser and Cedric Mullins are slumping. The offense scored three or fewer runs in four of seven games. But in a week in which the Orioles opened in second place in the AL East and ended it as the circuit’s best team, there’s little reason to nitpick the few negatives.

On the farm

Chayce McDermott and two relievers combined to throw a no-hitter for Triple-A Norfolk on Friday. McDermott stumbled in April but dominated Friday with 11 strikeouts. Top prospect Jackson Holliday struggled in his first full week back in the minors with a .227 average, while Samuel Basallo, Baltimore’s No. 2 prospect, went 5-for-16 with two homers for his best week of the season with Double-A Bowie.

Baltimore Sun reporter Jacob Calvin Meyer contributed to this article.

Orioles at Nationals

Tuesday, 6:45 p.m.

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