Jaden Henley heating up as 3-point threat from the wing for UNLV

On the initial possession of UNLV’s game Saturday at Wyoming, Jaden Henley lined up an open 3-pointer from the wing, let it go and … drew nothing but air.

Three minutes later, the UNLV junior stepped into another 3 and once again missed everything.

The crowd serenaded him with “airball” chants after each miss and roared in anticipation when, just 90 seconds later, Henley had the audacity to attempt another triple.

His third try swished through the net, quieted the Wyoming partisans and set UNLV on a path to a hard-earned road win.

It also said a lot about Henley, an understated addition who has morphed into UNLV’s best outside shooter this season. The transfer from DePaul is now shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, second on the team only to Jailen Bedford’s 38%, and in conference play Henley has ticked up to a team-best 41.9%.

Henley didn’t attempt any more 3-pointers at Wyoming, so his accuracy rate actually came down after his 1-of-3 performance. But the one Henley made left UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger impressed.

“Henley goes out there and fires up two air balls, and then he goes into the corner and knocks down the third one like nothing had happened,” Kruger said. “That’s the best part about him and his growth so far this year. The way he’s shooting it, he deserves to have that confidence and he’s earned that confidence.”

Henley, who started his college career at Minnesota, said he has faced difficult road venues before and though he heard the chants, didn’t pay them much mind.

His only focus was on the next open shot.

“Hearing ‘airball,’ it’s a little bit embarrassing but I get shots up every day and work on my game so much that I’m not fazed by it,” Henley said. “I know the next one’s probably going to go in, so I’m not worried.”

A 6-foot-6 wing, Henley shot 37.8% on 3-pointers as a freshman at Minnesota, albeit on limited attempts. He then transferred to DePaul for the 2023-24 season, and his marksmanship cratered as he made only 26.9%.

When recruiting the portal this past offseason, Kruger liked the fundamentals of Henley’s stroke and believed if he improved his shot selection he would develop into a reliable outside threat.

“When you watch good shooters and especially great shooters, it’s the consistency of the mechanics and the footwork and not shooting bad ones,” Kruger said.

That scouting has paid off in a big way; after battling through a foot injury earlier this season, Henley has started 18 of his 19 games and is averaging 12 points per game, second on the team to D.J. Thomas (16.2 points).

Henley said he spent “a lot of late nights, early mornings” over the summer refining his jumper.

“I think it was one of the biggest things that people doubted (about) me,” Henley said. “I shot the ball pretty well at Minnesota but I didn’t have a lot of attempts, so the biggest thing for me this summer was getting shots and my form, just getting good reps. I have a lot of confidence in my jumper.”

Henley has continued to heat up as the season has unfolded. After making just three 3-pointers in his first six games, he has hit an efficient 18-of-43 over the last 13 contests. He attributed that upward trend to his knowledge of the offense and his comfort in finding openings around the arc.

“Obviously it’s going to be different with every team you play, different defenses, you see zones,” he said. “But you know where you’re going to want to get your shots at and get to your spots.”

Against zone-heavy Air Force today (7 p.m., Mountain West Network), Henley could be called upon to stretch the defense with his outside touch. In the first meeting between the teams, Henley scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting (1-of-1 from 3-point range).

Occasional airball aside, Henley is hot right now, and UNLV wants him taking as many open 3-pointers as he can handle.

“He’s done a great job here,” Kruger said. “The form is there and the mechanics are there, so we want him to shoot them. He has shown so far, when he catches and shoots right now, everyone thinks it’s going in.”

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.