Drake Henderson comes home to join Bears’ staff

Drake Henderson is heading back to where it all started.

The new assistant coach grew up in this part of the state, and now he’s putting on the purple and gray as the newest member of Anthony Shulman’s staff in Conway.

Shulman runs the show for Central Arkansas men’s basketball, and he didn’t waste time explaining why he wanted Henderson on his bench.

He said Henderson stood out the moment they met, calling him a true basketball lifer who’s always ready to put in hard work.

Shulman pointed out that Henderson’s roots in this community made the hire feel even more special.

He believes coaches who care this much about the area push the whole program forward.

Drake Henderson

A winner at every stop

Henderson doesn’t show up empty handed. He spent the last two seasons as associate head coach at McCook Community College in Nebraska, and his fingerprints were all over an 18 win season there in 2025-26.

That mark was the best McCook had posted in close to a decade.

He also helped shape the game of Djibril Diawara, who earned NJCAA All American honors under his guidance.

Before Nebraska, Henderson built his name at National Park College in Hot Springs. Over two years there, the Nighthawks went 50-10 overall and rolled to a 19-3 mark in NJCAA Region 2 play.

The 2023-24 squad was something special, finishing 31-1 and capturing the 2024 NJCAA Division 2 National Championship. National Park also claimed back to back regular season conference titles during his stretch on staff.

Offense has been his signature

Scoring has followed Henderson wherever he’s coached.

His teams landed in the national Top 25 in points per game and offensive efficiency in three of his four seasons, including two seasons ranked in the Top 10 nationally in offensive efficiency.

He also coached up two more standout players at National Park, with Nakavieon White picking up NJCAA All American honors twice and Ja’Bryant Hill earning the same recognition once.

Henderson even stepped outside his usual role for a stretch, serving as interim head coach of the National Park women’s basketball team for five games during the 2022-23 season.

Local ties run deep

UCA isn’t unfamiliar territory for Henderson. He earned his bachelor’s degree in general studies from Central Baptist College, right there in Conway, which only adds to the homecoming feel of this hire.

Henderson didn’t hide his excitement once the move became official. He said he’s thrilled to join a place he calls home, praised Shulman and the staff for what they’ve built the last two seasons and made clear he’s ready to help chase championships in Conway.

The Bears are coming off a run to the ASUN Championship final, and adding a coach with a track record of national titles and offensive success only raises the stakes for what’s next.

UCA fans should expect Henderson’s scoring background to show up quickly in how this roster develops heading into next season.