Biography
When Dave Loos was an assistant at then-Memphis State, one of the program's graduate assistants in 1989-90 was an aspiring young coach, Wes Henning. Henning often times would bring his young son with him to practice. That was the first time Loos met Adrian Henning.
The next season Loos left Memphis to become head coach at Austin Peay. Through the years, though, Loos kept tabs on Adrian, who later would go on to star for his dad at Ridgeway High School, helping it become one of the state's perennial basketball powerhouses.
When the lanky younger Henning was ready to move his game to the college level, he and his dad were seeking the proper fit. That is when Loos came back into the picture. He had developed Austin Peay's program into an Ohio Valley Conference elite.
Adrian Henning and Austin Peay would prove to be a perfect match. In fact, Henning would not only become one of the greatest players during Dave Loos' tenure, but one of the best forwards in basketball program history as well.
His career statistics and honors alone bear that out-1351 points, 661 rebounds, 95 straight starts; two-time first-team All-OVC. However, Henning and his teammates were a part of culture shift in APSU basketball and in doing so became a part of the most successful team in Loos' tenure.
Henning came to Austin Peay at a time when the Govs were known for their offensive prowess. He joined a veteran team-but still started 10 games-led by Hassell and Nick Stapleton that swept through the Top of the World Classic. The Govs captured 22 games that season.
As a sophomore, Henning moved into the starting lineup, averaging 10 points per game, on a young team that struggled to a 14-18 record. With Stapleton, the program's second all-time leading scorer, having graduated, not much was foreseen for the 2002-03 Govs. They were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll.
APSU stunned Memphis in overtime, 81-80, to open that season and the transition began to mold- the Govs were moving from an offensive mindset to a defensive one. After losing two of their first three OVC games, the Govs won nine straight league games and 12 of their last 13, with Henning the offensive force. The Govs tied for the OVC regular-season title with Morehead State at 13-3, with APSU holding the opposition to less than 70 points 13 times during league play.
They then won the OVC tourney title, with a defensive relentlessness against both Murray State in the semifinals and Tennessee Tech in the finals, holding both to fewer than 60 points, allowing the Govs to participate in the 2003 NCAA tournament against Louisville.
The 6-7 Henning fit perfectly as both an offensive and defensive weapon, using his long arms and quickness coupled with terrific leaping ability to create havoc, including five games in which he scored 20 or more points highlighted by a career-best 30 at Evansville. He led the Govs in scoring (15.4 ppg), shooting 55.6 percent from the floor, and rebounding (7.1 rpg). That earned him his first first-team All-OVC selection and OVC all-tourney selection as the Govs finished with a 23-9 record, the 23 wins tying for the second most in APSU history.
That season was a precursor to 2003-04, the most impressive season during Loos' head-coaching tenure. All five starters returned, yet each, but one, saw his offensive numbers decline. Why? Defense became more than just the Govs' hallmark-it was an obsession. Eighteen times during the season APSU held opponents to fewer than 60 points. It won 14 straight games and 18 of 19. In the process of claiming a second straight OVC title, the Govs became the first men's team in league history to finish 16-0.
Henning again led the 22-10 Govs in scoring, averaging 13.7 ppg to go with 6.3 rpg in earning his second-straight first-team All-OVC honor.
Henning left Austin Peay with his name on several Govs offensive and defensive Top-10 lists. He was voted to the 2000 Era All-Decade team. And there has been virtually no one under Loos who authored more crowd-raising dunks than Henning, in particular one against Eastern Illinois.
He wore No. 14, however, probably the most impressive number attached to his name is 81. He was part of a three-player senior group (Henning, Josh Lewis and Rhet Wierzba) that set the Govs standard for career victories, including three 20-victory seasons.
