It’s been a banner year for the Kell High Longhorn basketball programs and two of its most famous alumni. On February 1, Kell retired the jerseys of 2021 graduate Scoot Henderson and his sister Crystal “Moochie” Henderson in a ceremony following a girls win over Chattahoochee High.
Scoot played three seasons for the Longhorns before deciding to sign with the NBA’s G League Ignite at the age of 17. That decision made the former five-star recruit the youngest player in the history of professional basketball.
Just a little over a month following the jersey ceremony, Crystal Henderson carved out her own piece of history, scoring 29 points to lead her team to its first-ever state championship and put an exclamation point on her career by becoming Kell’s all-time leading scorer – boys and girls.
“She brought it,” said Crystal’s mother, also named Crystal Henderson. “What an amazing night it was.”
If you’re wondering about sibling rivalries, jealousy, and other issues that sometimes come with fame and success, even within families, the Hendersons aren’t the place to look.
“Their relationship is a little different than most siblings, I’d say,” Mom Crystal said. “When Scoot played football, Crystal was a cheerleader. But she stopped doing that as soon as Scoot wasn’t playing football anymore. She said she did the cheerleader thing because she wanted to support her brother.”
Crystal says much of Scoot and Moochie’s success began with their father, Chris, who taught them as much of the mental side of basketball as the physical part.
“My husband trained them from day one,” she explained, “and instilled in each of them a great work ethic and made sure they understood the game on a different level, even when they were really young. Then from that, their overall sports IQ got stronger as the years went on, and he would add something new to their game each time.”
Chris recalls those days as well: “We would be in the parks late at night, with little to no light, training them, and working on their game,” he said.
Crystal says Scoot and Moochie each caught on at an early age: “Crystal got it all: dribbling, shooting, short jumper, lay up package, ball handling, she got it all.
And Scoot?
“He is so mature for his age, and has always been ahead of everyone else’s game, and it’s showing now,” she said.
Chris Henderson said that was one of the things that went through his mind as he watched as Scoot and Crystal’s jerseys were retired at Kell in February.
“I still haven’t grasped that night, to be honest,” Chris said. “I thought about those late nights. People have no idea of the grind and hard work we put our kids through.”
Chris’s wife remembers how mature Scoot and Crystal were in receiving such an honor.
“For me, it was actually after the ceremony, at the press conference, watching those two handle the media and reporters asking them questions,” she said. “It was so incredible seeing them with such poise.”
While there will be many more moments like that for Moochie and Scoot in the coming years, the Hendersons have surely seen this before.
Before Scoot and Moochie, there were daughters Diamond, Onyx, and China, who all played D-1 basketball. Diamond played at Syracuse, while Onyx and China played for Cal State-Fullerton. Older brother CJ played at Kell with Scoot, while Jade played football at Kell.
The Hendersons know they have been blessed, not only with the current state of what’s happening with Scoot and Moochie, but all of their kids.
“We feel amazingly blessed,” said Crystal. “We know that everyone doesn’t have this opportunity. It’s the way you live your life and always do right with people, and if you do that, the goods will come back to you. We put God first in all that we do.”
What’s next for Scoot and Moochie Henderson?
Scoot Henderson currently plays for Ignite and is expected to be the No. 2 overall selection in the upcoming NBA draft.
“We are just waiting to see where’s he’s going to go,” Crystal said of her son. “We are all super excited for him. We are just blessed to have him in the conversation as an NBA draft pick.”
Moochie will attend Georgia State University; whether her future includes a professional basketball career remains to be seen. The family operates Next Play 360, a 30,000-square-foot multi-sports complex, and Chris hopes that Moochie will play a big part in the future success of that facility, and what it could mean to the development of other kids.
Other kids like a future Scoot or Crystal “Moochie” Henderson.
