CLEVELAND, Tenn. — In an alternate universe, Beyuan Hendricks is not playing his fifth and final year of college basketball at Lee University.
There was a period of transition for the program after the 2022-23 season, when the Flames won 20 games and advanced to the NCAA Division II tournament. Two players transferred to Division I programs, with point guard PJay Smith going to Furman and forward Jayce Willingham winding up at Belmont. A third, guard Jalen Page, remained in D-II as he moved on to Trevecca Nazarene, where he averaged 19.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game this season and earned All-Great Midwest Conference recognition as a first-team selection.
Hendricks, with a year of eligibility remaining, had also put his name in the transfer portal and was garnering interest from D-I programs before ultimately reconsidering and choosing to play his final year in his hometown and just 30 minutes away from Baylor School, where he was a star on the Chattanooga prep scene.
Flames coach Ryan “Bubba” Smith, who played at Furman, obviously wanted his point guard to return. But it wasn’t going to be a forced decision, because he also knew that if Hendricks came back, his role was going to have to change from being simply a point guard.
“I just knew he was going to have to take on more responsibility,” Smith said. “He was going to get the best defender each night at the guard spot guarding him, so I knew the road may not be easier, necessarily. But I knew he’d have a chance to finish his playing experience (here), it could be a really good, awesome experience, and he’d have a chance to leave a legacy here.”