'A different level of competitiveness': Megan Griffith's unique recruiting plan brings in first-year star Kitty Henderson

Upper West Side NY

12 January, 2022

2:58 PM

Description

Columbia Daily Spectator BY ADAM LANG • JANUARY 11, 2022, 1:13 AM Columbia women's basketball ended the 2017-2018 season ranked last in the Ancient Eight. When head coach Megan Griffith, CC '07, took over in March 2016, the Lions had been stuck at the bottom of the league for over five years. Struggling programs often find it difficult to attract top players to rekindle their teams. However, in 2018, Griffith began revamping the Lions' recruitment effort, and in turn, the women's basketball program. In the following two years, the Light Blue won the hearts of talented players such as junior forwards Sienna Durr and Kaitlyn Davis and sophomore guard Abbey Hsu. In just three seasons, the Lions have evolved from a struggling team to an Ivy league title contender—holding the best record so far in the Ancient Eight. With the addition of this season's new rookies, Columbia became an offensive powerhouse, averaging 74.3 points over 13 games. First-year guard Kitty Henderson, currently ranked third in scoring on the team, offers a significant contribution to the Light Blue's current success. Henderson's arrival from a suburb of Sydney, Australia is a product of both Griffith's recruiting brilliance and the allure of New York City. Previously a recruiting coordinator at Princeton, Griffith developed a thorough plan to transform her alma mater. "When I took this job, we were the worst team in the league. … We had to be creative. My very first thing was, 'We're gonna recruit the South,' hence Abbey, Hannah, Madison Pack," Griffith said. "The second thing was, we are in New York City, let's take advantage of this international connection. … I went on to Australia on a three-week trip … and really just started meeting people, making connections." For Division I schools, recruiting can be just as competitive as the games themselves. Griffith is not afraid to challenge the other Ivy schools for the best young prospects, but also searches in unique areas, which allows her to discover firepower that other schools overlook. From there, Griffith says she prioritizes forging meaningful connections with potential recruits. "Kitty kind of fell in the middle [of the two types of players] because other Ivy League schools were looking at her … but we had a really strong connection," Griffith said. "She needs to know I'm going to be here, I'm going to be your coach for all four years, and that was really important that she choose a place where she had family." Perhaps for Henderson, Griffith didn't need to invest as much effort due to the allure of the Big Apple. "Columbia's always been my favorite," Henderson said. "[New York City] really does feel very alive all the time. … I don't actually miss Australia too much at the moment." Though Griffith didn't meet Henderson on her Australia trip, she built a relationship with Henderson's coach. The two talked for the first time via FaceTime, and when Henderson played during a visit to the United States, Griffith immediately fell in love with her talent. "I wanted Kitty to come here for the longest time. I really loved her game. It's her toughness and versatility for me. … When we need a play, she makes the play," Griffith said. "She just has a different level of competitiveness but also focus that we saw at a young age that I was like, 'This is elite.'" Despite Griffith's confidence in her game, Henderson was nervous about her game at the beginning of this year's season. She felt unsure of the role she would be filling due to her lack of specialization, but was ready to perform whatever the team needed. However, Griffith loves this versatility and has called Henderson the most consistent guard in the Light Blue's rotation. Henderson's aggressive style has propelled the Lions' offense this season. The 5-foot-10 guard isn't afraid to meet taller defenders at the basket whenever she sees an opening. "The game isn't complicated to her. … Her lines in the basket are what I think are the most impressive. She just goes and attacks and she's always thinking 'myself first,' … so the game just comes to her because of how aggressive she is," Griffith said. Despite her current playing style, Henderson's basketball journey started with netball, a far less aggressive sport. Although similar to basketball, netball is played without dribbling and limited contact. Henderson did not think netball fit her at all. "My mom didn't want me to play basketball, because she said it was too aggressive," Henderson said. "She wanted you to be a lady," Griffith added. When she was 10 years old, a basketball coach discovered her talents, ending the netball experiment for good. "The representative basketball coach was watching my netball game and was like, 'This girl does not fit into netball because she's killing people,'" Henderson said. She immediately fell in love with basketball. But besides basketball, Henderson was a multi-sport athlete. She ran cross country and competed in triathlons, even finishing fourth in a triathlon event in 2015. According to Henderson, she loves being an athlete because she gets to spend time around people who share the same goals as her and who constantly challenge her—and themselves—to accomplish them. During the 2019-2020 season, Henderson was able to spend time with some of the best athletes in Australia. Her WNBL team, Sydney Uni Flames, has a development program for young players––Henderson was one of just two who got the opportunity to train with the team. She was even called up to the first team roster when the team experienced injury problems. Henderson didn't get to step onto the court, but she enjoyed the experience anyway. "I think it was a step up from the other training that I had done. I think that actually prepared me quite well for the level of training here [at Columbia]," Henderson said. "I think it also helped with my confidence, because I've missed out on quite a few national teams. I think it was good for my confidence to know that I'm okay at basketball." Another thing she loved about the WNBL experience was the atmosphere at a professional game. She loves playing in front of people, which is one reason why she decided to come to the United States where there would be more fans watching. "Everyone loves basketball [in Australia]. The outdoor courts are always packed. But I think there's just more of a culture for it here. There's always people watching all the games. … In Australia, people love the game, but they don't really get around, especially for the smaller club games," Henderson said. Loving its basketball culture and wanting to challenge herself in a new environment, Henderson decided to come to New York City. Though it was out of her comfort zone at the beginning, she adapted extremely fast. In her first week of competition, she recorded back-to-back 16-point performances, earning her this season's first Ivy League Rookie of the Week honor. Quickly after, she stepped into a starting role for the Lions. Even with much higher expectations for her now than previously, Henderson does not feel pressured. She continues to do whatever Griffith and the team needs her to do at the moment. Henderson said she feels well supported by her teammates as well, especially junior guard Carly Rivera, whom she looks up to as a role model. "I've got Carly always giving me directions. She's basically like my mom on and off the court," Henderson said. "The way that she leads everyone and brings us all together in the hard moments and the good moments, I think is really cool. She's just a really good floor general as well. … I'm always watching film where I'm not as good as that." Through the support she has received in the past few weeks, she feels more able to fulfill the increasing role she needs to play. Henderson thinks the most important aspect of the team is how much everyone is equally part of it. "It's all 15 of us doing little things together," Henderson said. "Coach always says this in the locker room, every game a new person steps up to the opportunity. … I think it's really cool to be in a team like that, where you don't really know what's going to happen, because everyone's just a beast." No one from four years ago would believe that a Columbia team with a 2-12 Ivy record would one day have a team full of "beasts," as Henderson labels them. But Griffith has turned the Light Blue completely around from a program with just three winning seasons in the 30 years before she took the job to one of the best programs in the Ivy League. This year's Lions have high goals. "Ivy League champs and NCAA champs," Henderson said. "Individually, I guess I just want to do what is good for my team." "Which is what I will say will put her in contention to be, I believe, Rookie of the Year," Griffith added. "I think if you look at any other rookie's statline, you're not going to see the same numbers. … You're just not going to see another kid that's her age, affecting the game the way she does." Founded in 1877, the Columbia Daily Spectator is the independent undergraduate newspaper of Columbia University, serving thousands of readers in Morningside Heights, West Harlem, and beyond. Read more at columbiaspectator.com and donate here.