Hansen's Notebook: High school hoops standout Taliyah Henderson among large Salpointe group to exit Tucson

Subscribers can read this week's "Hansen's Notebook" in its entirety in the Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, edition of the Arizona Daily Star (Page C2) — either in print or at Tucson.com/EEdition. Or, dig into the Hansen archives at Tucson.com/Hansen.

When basketball standout Taliyah Henderson chose to play for North Carolina over an offer from Arizona coach Adia Barnes a few days ago, it was hardly startling news.

In the last 30 years, high-profile Salpointe athletes such as Bijan Robinson (Texas football), Lathan Ransom (Ohio State football), Sybil Dosty (Tennessee basketball), Taira Mims Flowers (UCLA softball), Chris Hopkins (ASU football), Colleen Lanne (Texas swimming), Yannira Acuña (ASU softball), Kelly Walbert Cagle (Duke soccer), Kylie Wild (Boston College) and Bruno Fina (UCLA/Duke football), among others, left Tucson.

That’s far more than any other Tucson school in that span.

Last year, elite Lancer football stars, Elijah Rushing and Keona (Willhite) Davis, initially committed to play at Arizona. Both ultimately changed their mind; Rushing jumped to Oregon and Davis to Nebraska.

Rushing and Davis began their college careers last week. Rushing did not play in Oregon’s victory over Idaho; Davis was not listed on Nebraska’s three-man depth chart of defensive ends in a victory over UTEP.

Another highly recruited Salpointe lineman, Jonah Miller, who originally enrolled at Oregon, is now playing at UTSA. He is listed as a third-team right tackle for the Roadrunners; he did not play in last week’s opener against Texas State.