BERKELEY, Calif. — Since replacing Pelle Larsson in the Arizona starting lineup seven games ago, Cedric Henderson said the two players haven’t really spoken about the move.
With words, at least.
One form of communication was evident Thursday in No. 4 Arizona’s 85-62 win at Cal. Having become more productive across the board since the move during the Wildcats’ Jan. 19 win against USC, Henderson had already given the Wildcats a 13-2 lead when he hit a jumper nearly six minutes into the game.
Then he raced back and, 27 seconds later, blocked a shot from Cal’s Sam Alajiki, allowing Courtney Ramey to pick up the rebound while Larsson raced downcourt for a dunk.
That gave the Wildcats a 15-3 lead and, a minute later, Arizona was ahead 21-6 when Henderson sank a 3-pointer.
Henderson started. Larsson came off the bench. They played together at times. And, while the Wildcats wavered somewhat after taking their early leads Thursday, they won their seventh straight game, never having lost with the current lineup entering Saturday’s game at Stanford.
“We kind of just play, kind of just enjoy it,” Henderson said when asked if he and Larsson had discussed the lineup change. “We’re really not mad about it because the minutes are the same. We’re still doing the same thing. I think it just gives us a jolt off the bench and allows Pelle to be more of a scorer.”
It puts Henderson back in his old frame of mind too. A three-year starter at Campbell before making the grad-transfer move to Arizona before this season, Henderson found his routine change out of necessity when Ramey moved into the starting lineup after sitting out the first three games of the season because of an NCAA suspension following his transfer from Texas.
Henderson scored a season-high 20 points in his final early-season start, against Utah Tech on Nov. 17, but slipped into a more secondary pattern while Ramey began starting and becoming one of Arizona’s top offensive threats behind forward Azuolas Tubelis, center Oumar Ballo, and guard Kerr Kriisa.
“The biggest adjustment was having to realize that I have players around me that can score the ball too,” Henderson said. “Don’t get me wrong — we had good players at Campbell too — but … Azuolas, I mean, I looked up and he had 20 and 15 (actually 14 rebounds) with five minutes left (at Cal). It’s just different.”
As the season went into December, Henderson still struggled at times with the adjustment. He scored in only single digits off the bench in the Wildcats’ first five Pac-12 games after Christmas.
Then, against USC, still smarting from a home loss to Washington State and a 19-point road loss at Oregon, Lloyd swapped Henderson in the lineup for Larsson.
Henderson was able to go back to his old habits. So was Larsson, who won the Pac-12’s Sixth Man of the Year award last season.
“I’m still the same player, but I think what it does, it allows Pelle to be a spark off the bench and it allows me to be more comfortable,” Henderson said. “I’ve always started during my college career, so coming off the bench was definitely a new thing for me. We wanted to try something new, and it just turned out to work.
“We’re still a great team regardless of if I come off the bench or if I start.”
Arizona guard Cedric Henderson, right, stuffs Oregon State forward Glenn Taylor Jr. from behind in the first half of their Pac-12 game at McKale Center on Feb. 4, 2023.
But the numbers clearly indicate they’re a better team with Henderson starting.
In the seven Pac-12 games before the lineup change, Henderson averaged 4.7 points and 3.0 rebounds while making just 2 of 14 3-point shots. In the seven since the change, Henderson is averaging 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds while hitting 11 of 22 3s.
Larsson also has been much more efficient. The junior wing from Sweden jumped from 7.0 average points in the first seven Pac-12 games to 10.2 over the last seven, while his 3-point shooting moved from 22.7% to 40.0%.
Larsson’s rebounding has dropped lately — he averaged 5.5 rebounds as a starter in Pac-12 play vs. 2.4 off the bench — but he’s now bringing his versatile and energetic defense into games just when some starters are taking a break.
On Thursday at Cal, Larsson finished with 16 points while hitting all three 3-pointers he took, while Henderson had 11 points and eight rebounds, and Ramey added five assists and two steals without a turnover.
“I thought Pelle and Ced played with tremendous energy and really impacted the game,” Lloyd said. “That was fun to see, getting them able to get out in transition there, which is something we like to do, and Courtney played a really good floor game.”
The way Lloyd described it after Thursday’s game, both Ramey and Henderson have adjusted well after playing multiple college seasons in other systems, learning different habits and breaking some others.
“They’re growing within the Arizona basketball program, and that’s what happens with a transfer,” Lloyd said. “I love what they’re doing for us, and I love where we’re at.
“And Ced in particular is just playing with tremendous effort and energy, and that’s incredible.”
Arizona men's basketball coach Tommy Lloyd answers questions from local media during a scheduled media session on Feb. 7, 2023. Lloyd discusses his decision-making on bringing Filip Borovicanin and Adama Bal into games this past weekend off the bench, and how that impacts the team's rotation. Video by Ryan Wohl/Special to the Arizona Daily Star
