Tiger fans may be surprised at what they see when the new-look Pierre Henderson-Niles takes the court for the Tigers this season. At the end of last season, Henderson-Niles weighed 350 lbs., but diet and exercise during the offseason have dropped him to 299.
With the extra weight off, Henderson-Niles is expected to be a solid contributor to the Tigers this season.
"I am jumping higher than ever, and my footwork is quicker," he said.
Calipari's goal is for him to be at 280 lbs. by the beginning of the season.
"I should be able to make it by Nov. 17," Niles said. "I just have to stay away from the (dinner) table."
Henderson-Niles said before he went on his diet, he ate some of everything. Now, instead of eating fried foods, he eats baked chicken and fish and "a lot of salads."
With Thanksgiving approaching, overindulging on turkey and other holiday favorites can be tempting for someone on a diet.
"Oh, I'm going to eat something," Henderson-Niles said. "But it will probably be only one plate."
The Tigers' coaching staff is obviously very pleased with Henderson-Niles' hard work.
"This year, we are long and athletic," said Coach John Calipari, and now Henderson-Niles fits into that category.
As a freshman, the big man played 185 minutes. But as a sophomore, that number dropped to only 98 minutes. That has to do somewhat with the successful play of fellow big men Joey Dorsey and Shawn Taggart last year. Now with Dorsey playing professional ball and Niles' weight down, he should be ready for a bigger workload.
"What Pierre has done is put himself in a position to be a player on this team," Calipari said. "He's capable of playing about 10 times as much as he did last year, so he's up to about four minutes a half. He needs to be able to play about 50 times as much as last year."
While Calipari said he's proud of what Henderson-Niles has done so far, he still has to lose "about 15 pounds."
That weight loss is not the only change Tiger fans are going to see this season. The 6-foot-8 junior forward recently changed his last name from Niles to Henderson-Niles, which comes from his father, Harvey Henderson.
With this new addition, some fans have begun to speculate that Henderson-Niles will receive a new nickname, "PHN", similar to Chris Douglas-Roberts' "CDR" last year.
Henderson-Niles smiled at the idea of a nickname but ultimately rejected it.
"I don't think so," Niles said. "I'm just Pierre."
His full name is actually Jartavious Pierre Henderson-Niles, but he has never gone by Jartavious, at least not on the basketball court.
Henderson-Niles' individual and team goals include continuing his weight loss and eventually getting back to where the Tigers were last year.
"This time, we want to win it all," Henderson-Niles said.
As a high school player, Henderson-Niles was very successful. In 2005, he led the Ridgeway Roadrunners to a 34-5 record and a Tennessee Class AAA Championship. For his performance, Henderson-Niles was also named the Tennessee Class AAA Tournament Most Valuable Player.
Henderson-Niles has averaged 1.1 points and 1.5 rebounds per game over the course of his collegiate career. Tiger fans should look for these numbers to rise as Henderson-Niles' speed, quickness and agility improve.
The Tigers' first regular season game is Nov. 15 against Fairfield. However, the Tigers' focus right now is improving fundamentals and team chemistry.
"We are just practicing right now," Niles said. "We are not even thinking about Fairfield right now."
The eyes of Memphians will be on Henderson-Niles and the rest of the Tigers as they continue towards the ultimate goal of bringing home an NCAA Championship.
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