NCAA Basketball: Transfer stretch forward Mikey Henn down to 3 options

Denver transfer Mikey Henn is one of the better shooting forwards left in the NCAA Basketball transfer portal. Which of his three finalists is the best fit?

There are few more traveled players in NCAA Basketball than Mikey Henn, who has played and started at four different programs in four different conferences. They were all out west (UC Davis, Cal Baptist, Portland and Denver). The 6’8 forward put up his best stats this past season at Denver, averaging 8.8 ppg and 4.6 rpg in 25 mpg on 47% shooting.

Henn also shot 38% from three-point range and while never a star on any team, proved to be a solid rotational player overall. And now on his 5th and final spot, the experienced veteran forward will be joining a high-major program.

Which of them is the best potential fit for Henn and who will provide the most amount of minutes? Here’s a closer look at each of the three options.

Illinois Fighting Illini

With Baylor transfer Matthew Mayer recently joining, Illinois has its starting power forward for next season. And with Dain Dainja and Coleman Hawkins already here, there are not a lot of minutes available for Henn to look at. If he’s willing to settle for 10-12 off the bench behind Mayer, the Illini could get another piece to build out its roster and make a case for being the best in the Big Ten.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The Irish’s frontcourt is rather thin, without Paul Atkinson Jr. and potentially without starting forward Nate Laszewski. If he stays in the NBA Draft, that leaves a pair of three-star freshmen and backup Matt Zona to take the minutes inside. Henn gives them some experience to work with and a spacing option as well. Of the three options, Notre Dame would give him the most number of minutes.

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions don’t have starting center John Harrar but do have a couple of solid incoming frontcourt pieces in Kebba Njie and Demetrius Lilley. The power forward position is wide open, as Seth Lundy could get minutes as a small-ball forward of Jevonnie Scott could take a large role in the offense.

Penn State has a high-risk and high reward scenario for Mikey Henn, as they don’t have a clear starting forward for next season. But they do have several options that could take that role and there is a case where the Denver transfer could end up buried on the bench. And that’s not something a player with one year of eligibility wants to do. It’ll be an interesting decision for Henn to make but one of these three teams is about to get more depth for next season.