The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Catching up with Women's Basketball's NeKeshia Henderson
07.10.2016 | Women's Basketball
Former Longhorn guard (1991-95) now works as a Deputy Sheriff in Dallas County.
DALLAS – Helping others has always been NeKeshia Henderson's calling.
Though her journey has taken the former University of Texas guard down an unexpected path, she is answering that call with a successful career in law enforcement.
For the past seven years, Henderson has served as a deputy sheriff in Dallas County.
"Something I've always felt was my purpose in life was helping others," Henderson said. "I initially thought it would be through basketball that I would help others. But it was God's plan to put me in this position to help others. It is my purpose to be a positive influence for those who are locked up."
Henderson was a standout for the Longhorns from 1991-95, earning first-team All-Southwest Conference honors as a freshman in 1992, and second-team all-league accolades as a senior in 1995. She ranks among the top-30 in program history in scoring with 1,152 career points and is seventh in school history in career assists with 450.
That Henderson would play college basketball was never a given, despite her considerable talent. It was because of her grandmother – a sports fan – who helped Henderson develop the goal of playing collegiately.
"When I first started playing basketball, I didn't really watch college ball and I didn't know a lot about college basketball," Henderson said. "My grandmother followed basketball and UT was one of the teams she loved following. She ended up passing when I was in high school, and something she had talked about was me playing at the University of Texas."
During her time at UT, Henderson also represented USA Basketball as a member of the 1993 Jones Cup Team, which won the bronze medal in Taipei.
The timing of her graduation from UT – with a bachelor's degree in applied learning and development – was serendipitous, as the American Basketball League was preparing for its inaugural season. Henderson played for both the San Jose Lasers and the Colorado Xplosion.
Henderson later competed oversees and with the Houston Comets of the WNBA, but her career was plagued with injuries following a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) prior to the start of the 2000 season.
It was from dealing with injury that Henderson learned important lessons that have served her well in her professional career.
"Dealing with injuries teaches you that nothing is promised in life," Henderson said. "Things will happen. It's not only how you deal with what happened, it's how you get over it. When tough things happen in life outside of basketball, you are prepared to move on and keep your life together."
Once her basketball career ended, Henderson wasn't sure what would come next. A family member worked in law enforcement in Dallas and encouraged her to enter the field. As fate would have it, that initial job would define her career path.
"I started working in a state facility right across from the Dallas County Sheriff's Department facility," Henderson said. "About three months later, I was told they were hiring at the county facility. They made way more than what I was making working inside of the state jail. As I was applying, the investigator told me I could become a deputy sheriff because I had the college hours. I had just missed the time when the test was being administered. I worked inside the county jail for five to six months when the deputy test came back up and I passed it."
As she progressed in her career as a deputy sheriff, Henderson found that she was relying on many of the things she learned while on the Forty Acres.
"With basketball, you learn how to get along with different personalities, their attitudes and how they react and respond to different things," she said. "You learn how to understand different people so that you don't become upset just because of how a person acts. Everybody is different and it's just a matter of getting along."
That understanding of people and the human condition has served Henderson well in helping the prisoners with whom she interacts.
"So many times, you see someone locked up and people have negative things to say to them and about them," Henderson said. "They judge them because of their criminal activity. I try to be a positive influence. For those being released to go home, I just try to give them some positive words to encourage them from making the same mistake again because the thing about criminal activity is that it can become a revolving door once they are released."
It has always been and continues to be about people for Henderson, so it's no surprise that her favorite memories of her time at the University of Texas are all about her teammates.
"We really enjoyed being around each other and had fun on and off the court," Henderson said. "When you're traveling, you meet other players on other teams. I still communicate with some of my teammates and other players that I met throughout my time at Texas. It gave me the chance to meet different people and form long-lasting friendships."
Henderson maintains her connection to Texas Basketball, including her attendance at Exes Weekend. The successes of recent teams fondly remind her of her own playing days.
"The excitement is back," Henderson said. "The style of play is enjoyable to watch and I love the recruits that they're getting in. I've followed them and learned a little bit about them, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do this year."
