5-star 2027 prospect Demarcus Henry discusses BYU offer from trip to Utah

PLEASANT GROVE — Before Demarcus Henry made his EYBL Scholastic debut Tuesday afternoon with Arizona Compass Prep, the 6-foot-5 wing who is a top-15 prospect in the Class of 2027 had some personal business to attend.

Henry made a stop in Provo on his way to the LVLUP Hoopfest in Pleasant Grove, where he totaled 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting with six rebounds, three steals and two assists in a 67-61 win over Utah Prep.

But before that, he sat in BYU coach Kevin Young's office for a surreal experience.

The five-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite rating had never met Young, but he was well acquainted on the recruiting trail with assistant coach Chris Burgess and BYU director of recruiting Justin Young. Still, the Cougars were plenty interested in the No. 26 prospect in next year's class by ESPN with offers from Ohio State, USC, Louisville, among many others.

But on Monday, Young offered him a scholarship to BYU.

"It's just a great feeling," said Henry in describing the "great environment" at BYU. "I like the facilities a lot; they're new. It's a great place, for sure. And the coaches are all great people. It seems like a good place to develop."

Henry will likely be a priority recruit for BYU over the next year, though the junior at Arizona Compass Prep that competes nationally against schools like Brewster Academy, Montverde and Wasatch Academy is in no hurry to make a college decision.

For now, he's trying to get to know his new coaches and teammates a year after averaging 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a sophomore at Mater Dei in Santa Ana, California.

"I feel like I'm fitting in great with the team, and just getting to know the culture, being familiar with the coaches and playing style," he told KSL.com. "It's a great environment to play with; you've got people to push you, great players around you, and coaches who push you to be better."

Henry describes himself as a player who "will do the little things to get the win," whether that be scoring, rebounding or defending. In Tuesday's game, he often drew the unenviable task of attempting to slow down Utah Prep star Anthony Felesi, the Pitt signee from Orem who dropped 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting including 2-of-5 from 3-point range with 10 rebounds and three assists in the loss.

"If you need me to score, I'll score," Henry said. "But I like to defend at a high level, and create for my teammates. I just want to make an impact on the floor."

Henry has seen his recruiting stock balloon since he received an offer from Oregon back in May, and his relationship with older brother Chris Henry Jr., a five-star wide receiver who has committed to Ohio State, hasn't hurt, either.

But the son of former NFL great Chris Henry, who died tragically at the age of 26 when he fell out of a moving truck when Demarcus was an infant, is his own player, with every bit of a 6-foot-5 that is a handle on defense.

Henry was raised by his mother Leini Tonga, with plenty of help from family including a grandfather who was a bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii. Henry, too, grew up in the faith, which certainly played a role in his recruitment by the church's flagship university.

But mostly, his recruitment — with Young and others — has centered around development.

And though Henry is still a junior and hasn't set a timeline for making a college decision, the five-star prospect said he's "definitely" open to returning to Utah on an official visit when the time is right.

Monday's discussions centered primarily around how Henry fit in BYU's program a year after Young led the Cougars to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in his first year and signed the No. 1 player in the country in AJ Dybantsa.

Development — specifically, the kind that took Egor Dёmin from highly touted prospect out of Moscow into the No. 8 overall pick of the NBA draft — was also top of mind.

"Coach Young is a great guy," Henry said. 'He's a smart individual, and a great coach. He knows what he's doing."

Play wraps up at the LVLUP Athletics Hoopfest on Wednesday. Tickets are available at the door.

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