Part Of The Program
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
The Beloit newspaper wrote a feature story on Casey Henningsen this week. She knows because her parents call her.
And because almost everyone else in North Central Kansas calls her parents.
“They all want to know what I’m doing,” Henningsen said. “They follow it in the papers. I think my parents get to have a lot of fun with people coming into their place of business and talking to them.”
Clay Henningsen, who owns a grain elevator in Glen Elder, seems to get them all: Farmers, old bus drivers, well-wishers in general.
They all come to chat about his daughter — the basketball star from the town of 439 and high school of 63.
“I won’t say they treat my like a superstar because I wouldn’t want it,” Casey said, “but they’re all a big family to me. I love them, and they love me.”
It’s that support that’s gotten Henningsen this far.
The senior forward for Emporia State has always seemed to have loved ones with her on her journey through college and also life.
The dedication has been unwavering.
Her father has attended every one of Casey’s games in college, driving to each one no matter how far away it has been. He also has kept his own “personal stats,” which includes logging 17,000 miles per year on his vehicle to watch his daughter play.
In addition, Casey’s grandparents also have season tickets at White Auditorium. Her grandfather bought a new van when Casey began playing as a freshman for ESU.
It now has nearly 100,000 miles just four years later.
“They’re terrific,” Henningsen said. “It’s so amazing to have a support system like that, especially after a disappointing loss to Washburn. They don’t care. They know I’m disappointed, but they still love me the same.”
There were times this year, however, when Henningsen struggled with trying to do too much.
Instead of playing for enjoyment, she started to play to not let others down.
“When you start playing for other people,” ESU coach Brandon Schneider said, “that’s when you can really put a lot of pressure on yourself.”
After meeting with Schneider, Henningsen regained her focus. He told her that she had to play for herself, and that those who loved her would do so whether she won or lost.
The message got through.
“I’ve kind of decided to take that pressure off and realize that I need to enjoy it,” Henningsen said. “This whole senior year is an eye-opener. It’s amazing how different things are as a senior, and how much easier it is to sit back and enjoy every little thing.”
After becoming only the second player in Kansas high school history to score 2,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds (ESU teammate Michelle Stueve later became the third), Henningsen was only recruited by a handful of Division-I schools because of her size at 6-foot-1.
Though Wichita State was one of those schools, Henningsen realized after discussions with her Dad that Division II would probably be best for her.
Schneider received a commitment after visiting Henningsen three times in her hometown.
“There’s a lot of people that don’t always make the time and effort to go to a place like Glen Elder to look at a player,” Schneider said.
He’s never regretted the decision.
Henningsen enters the NCAA Tournament 12th all-time in ESU scoring with 1,359 points and 10th in rebounding with 724 boards.
A greater compliment from Schneider, though, came this season when he called Henningsen “the model Lady Hornet.”
Henningsen was named as a third-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District selection last season.
Though it came down to Washburn and ESU for Henningsen at the end of high school, she said she’d never thought twice about her decision to become a Lady Hornet.
“It’s one of those things where you make your decision and don’t look back,” Henningsen said. “I know a lot of people would say, ‘Oh, if you went there, you’d have a National Championship ring.’ But I love it here. I’m really proud to be on this squad. We put in so much work. We work so hard.”
And maybe that’s most important for Henningsen.
Win or lose in the next few games, nothing can take away what she’s accomplished at ESU.
She already has a family — and a town — that’s satisfied with all she’s become.
“The program is something I’m always going to be proud to be a part of,” Henningsen said. “I love wearing the colors.
“I don’t need a ring to know how hard I worked or how good we were or how much fun I had.”