By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — While listed in a three-way tie for the smallest stature on the St. Thomas More Cavaliers’ girls basketball team roster, Enna Henry plays beyond her size.

What makes Henry stand out is her competitive nature and willingness to put in the work, Cavaliers head coach Brandon Kandolin said of his three-year starting point guard.

“She's not big in stature, but she plays bigger than she is. She is not afraid, and most of the time she is probably guarding somebody bigger than her,” Kandolin said of Henry, who is listed at 5’4” in the program. “But that does not slow her down, doesn’t get her frustrated. She just understands her job, she understands her role, and preparing for whatever team she's going to step on the floor, she's going to be ready to win.”

So far this season, Henry and the Lady Cavaliers are 9-3 on the season with aspirations of a state tournament appearance.

Henry, who also does club lacrosse, was integral in the Cavaliers volleyball team’s return to the state tournament for the first time since 2011.

This past season, Henry notched her 2,000th career assist as the team’s setter. An accomplishment she said was exciting for, especially given when she participates in club volleyball, she typically plays libero. 

Earning a spot in the state tournament in volleyball has Henry and a lot of her teammates hungry to qualify in basketball.

“I think it just gave us a lot of confidence as a school, because for volleyball, at least, we haven't been since 2011 so that just gave our volleyball program a lot of confidence. And then coming into the season, obviously, we were wanting to win state, but we weren't expected to win state, considering we haven't been there in years. But I think just it carried on with basketball, and just wanting to win and make it to state, for basketball, with this team,” she said.

At about the midway point of the season, the Cavaliers find themselves atop their region having already defeated Rapid City Christian, which is sitting second, with two of the Cavaliers’ three losses have been to out-of-state teams; Kearney, Neb., and Thunder Basin, Wyo., Their third loss was to No. 8 West Central on Jan. 16.

The Cavaliers haven’t reached the state tournament since 2022, when they won the Class A championship 52-30 over Hamlin.

While Henry isn’t known for being vocal out on the court, Kandolin said she’s one of the biggest competitors.

“I love that she is so determined and wants the best for her team,” Kandolin said. “You can just tell that she's a competitor. If you watch her play in volleyball, she's a competitor. She's got a little fight in her that maybe people don't quite see, but she definitely has this fight because she does not like to lose. 

“When we're doing drills in practice, she does not like to lose. She doesn't like to make mistakes. She holds herself very accountable. And she's one of those that we would say is extremely coachable. When you ask her to do something, when you ask her to think about something, I think she understands that.”

Henry said her confidence, and the trust her coaches put in her, is where she’s grown the most since first stepping onto the hardwood for St. Thomas More.

Kandolin has shown his confidence in Henry by typically having Henry guard the opposing team’s best guard.

Kandolin said he trusts Henry because of all the little things she does that you won’t find on a stat sheet.

“She's got great composure. It's rare for her to get frustrated,” Kandolin said. “You can see it sometimes, but it's hard to see, and I think that's just because of the competitive nature that she has.  

“I think that's a huge part of the success is just her leadership. Her being a veteran, she is definitely not one that will probably speak her mind. But as far as her ability to lead by example, especially for the younger kids, she's got it. I think she is extremely supportive of the younger kids. I think that she is one of those examples that if we're doing a drill and we want somebody to show how to do it, right, she's the one that can do it.”

St. Thomas More's Enna Henry celebrates a Cavaliers basket during their game against Spearfish on Tuesday evening. (Matt Gade/605 Sports)

Henry said she’s particularly enjoyed the trips East River facing schools she and the team don’t see nearly as regularly back home.

As far as getting back to the state tournament, Henry said the coaches preach that it starts in practice and will naturally carry over to games.

While Henry said she would like to continue her athletic career after high school, she hasn’t committed to anything, but did say volleyball is her favorite sport.

As for her senior year on the basketball court, Henry said she and her teammates really want to get back to the state tournament. A goal they know will take hard work to get to.

“That not wanting to lose is such a driving force for her,” Kandolin said. “I wish I could watch her play lacrosse,  a game that's somewhat physical, and I know she's got to be excellent at it. There's a lot of similarities in all those sports, and I think that she's just got that mindset because she's so competitive. She just does not want to quit. She doesn't want to lose.”