By Tom Robinson, NEPABasketball.com
Ryan Henke did not need long to answer the question of how an extended COVID shutdown, right as the Lackawanna League Division 4 season was starting, impacted him.
After a 16-day break from game competition, including a significant stretch without time in the gym individually or with teammates, Henke went right back to work.
Henke produced 56 points and 18 rebounds in the first two games back, helping Mountain View get through its first week of league play with a split.
That performance made Henke the Brucelli Advertising District 2 Boys Basketball Player of the Week for the time period of Jan. 10-16.
Henke made sure the Eagles found their offensive touch immediately, helping them to a 41-38 halftime lead over then division leader Blue Ridge before falling, 79-64, in their return to action. He hit five 3-pointers to lead the team with 26 points.
“It’s definitely tough having two weeks off, especially when we had to come out and have a game rescheduled and play Blue Ridge without touching a basketball for almost two weeks,” Henke said. “As a team, we showed our resilience.”
The Eagles also learned in the second half of the Blue Ridge game that there was still work to be done to try to catch up to opponents that had been playing all along.
“As soon as we got our wind, we got our defense up to speed,” Henke said, “but we were able to put up some points from the beginning.
“It was a present surprise that when we came back, we were able to click like that.”
Henke again provided plenty of offense in the next outing, making sure Mountain View did not wait long for its first division victory.
The returning Lackawanna League Division 4 all-star, according to NEPABasketball.com, hit two more 3-pointers and converted a pair of three-point plays while pouring in 30 points during a 73-57 victory over Susquehanna.
Henke, who also grabbed nine rebounds in each game, said a faster-paced approach to games has opened up offensive opportunities for him this season. He is producing close to 20 points per game overall and well above that mark during division play to lead all Lackawanna League boys scorers.
“The new personnel has changed our offense for the better,” said Henke, a three-year starter on a team that has three newcomers, including freshman point guard Jackson Gesford, in the starting lineup. “It allows us get up the floor faster and into our spots faster.
“Our coach (Joe Gibbons) made a point that, ‘let’s get out and run this year’.”
Henke has made a verbal commitment to play at Randolph College, a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III program in Lynchburg, Va. that spotted him playing for the NEPA Elite program out of Riverfront Sports in Scranton during the 2021 AAU season. He plans to be a physics major within the engineering program.
Ryan is the son of Jason and Christine Henke from Kingsley.
Josian Guerra from Hazleton Area and Jake Zola from Hanover Area were also considered for the award.
Guerra had 45 points, 23 rebounds, 9 steals, 5 assists and 3 blocked shots in a 3-0 week. He helped lead the Cougars past the other two contenders for the division title, Dallas and Pittston Area, going 8-for-9 from the floor with 20 points in a 50-48 win over Pittston Area. Guerra also handled key defensive assignments while producing three steals in each of the wins.
Zola had back-to-back double-doubles in points and rebounds as Hanover Area won both its games after breaking a four-game losing streak. He had 14 points against Wyoming Area and 14 rebounds against Delaware Valley.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
Dec. 6-12: Austin Finarelli, Dallas. https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Awards/BPlayer1Finarelli.
Dec. 13-19: Jason Shields, Scranton. https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Awards/BPlayer2Shields.
Dec. 20-26: Ryan Ruddy, North Pocono. https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Awards/BPlayer3Ruddy.
Dec. 27-Jan. 2: Matt Mowry, Elk Lake. https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Awards/BPlayer4Mowry.
Jan. 3-8: Connor Cranage, Blue Ridge. https://nepabasketball.com/2021-22/Awards/BPlayer5Cranage.
