Magruder’s Henderson chooses Mason

‘‘It’s close to home; it’s a big school, like I wanted to go to,” Henderson said. ‘‘A lot of other coaches I talked to, when I narrowed my decision down, thought I’d be better off basketball-wise at Mason.”

Mason, which plays in the NCAA Division I Colonial Athletic Association, has made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including last season, in 11 years under head coach Jim Larranaga. Larranaga is the school’s and conference’s all-time leader in wins, and led the Patriots on an unlikely run to the Final Four in 2006.

Montgomery County natives Tony Skinn and Folarin Campbell were part of that Final Four team. In Henderson, Larranaga has landed another county standout.

In three years on Magruder’s varsity team, Henderson made three trips to the 4A West Region final. The 6-foot-3 guard was a key part of the Colonels’ run to the 2007 state final as a junior, and was the team’s second-leading scorer this past winter, averaging 13.0 points per game.

‘‘Brian is long, he can defend, and he’s a really intelligent player,” Magruder coach Dan Harwood said. ‘‘He certainly has the tools to contribute there down the road. ... His basketball IQ, both offensively and defensively, as a walk-on I think the coaches there are going to love that.”

Henderson was courted by a handful of Division II and III schools, but made it his goal to play in Division I. After his senior season ended, The Citadel (S.C.) began showing interest and considered offering a scholarship. But after a recent visit to George Mason, Henderson felt the Patriots offered a better opportunity.

‘‘My freshman year, they’re saying that I probably won’t see much game time,” Henderson said. ‘‘They’re expecting that by my sophomore or junior year, I’ll be in the rotation, or at least near it.”

Harwood, who started at a junior college before growing into a Division I college player himself, believes Henderson could turn out to be a diamond that just needs a little polishing.

‘‘I played Division I, but I couldn’t have played it out of high school,” Harwood said. ‘‘Certainly, if kids work hard, they aren’t going to peak in high school. If Brian continues to work hard, you never know.”