Women’s basketball head coach Sam Kosanovich said the stars aligned and everything went right when he landed sophomore guard Ashley Henderson on Point Park University’s team.

Henderson, who plays shooting and point guard, transferred from Canisius College and is playing her first season for the Pioneers. Kosanovich heard about Henderson by word of mouth from a parent of a player on the men’s basketball team.

“The parents of Franco Sebastiani [a sophomore guard] knew Ashley and told me she wanted to play locally and they thought she should take a look at Point Park,” Kosanovich said. “They told me great things about her, so we wanted to take a look.”

Henderson did not come to Point Park straight from Canisius though. She was heavily recruited out of Greensburg Central Catholic High School and started her college career at the University of Pittsburgh. According to the recruiting publication, Blue Star Basketball, Henderson was the 167-ranked player in the country, and she was the 39-ranked shooting guard in the nation, according to All-Star Girls Report. Henderson went to Pitt from June 2007 to December 2007, then she decided to transfer to Canisius because things were not working out at Pitt as much as she would have liked.

“I played six games at Pitt and wasn’t really getting into games,” Henderson said. “I decided that it might be best if I went to Canisius.”

Henderson began attending Canisius, which is in Buffalo N.Y., in January 2008 but she did not get to play any games because she was required to sit out a year. A combination of not being able to play and wanting to be closer to her family were the driving factors in Henderson transferring to Point Park.

“Not playing in games was killing me,” Henderson said. “It’s hard watching because you want to be out there playing. Practicing every day but not being able to play in any games is hard. I also wanted to be closer to my family. My grandfather loves to see me play, and being at Point Park gives my family a chance to see me play.”

Henderson said she is happy with her decision to join the Pioneers and the decision is benefiting her and the school. Henderson is leading the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game to go along with 5.3 rebounds per game to pace the Pioneers, whose records stands at 10-10 overall and 4-7 in the American Mideast Conference (AMC).

“She brings a lot to the table for us,” Kosanovich said. “She has a great jump that has great form. She is very versatile and she rebounds well, too. Ashley is always willing to improve and willing to work to get better.”

Assistant coach Molly McClelland said Henderson helps make her teammates better and is glad to have a solid player like Henderson in the lineup.

“I just think her presence on the floor changes the way we play basketball,” McClelland said. “She is a student of the game and always wants to be better and improve, which raises the bar for her teammates. She is intense in practice, and it helps motivate the team.”

Beyond having a great season, Henderson said she is happy to be playing at a school she likes and to be playing close to her family. She hopes to make the best of her experience at Point Park.

“When I came here I really liked the coaches and the school,” Henderson, a sophomore advertising and public relations major, said. “I like the location, and there is a lot to do around here. I have just had a lot of fun, and I’m happy to be playing here with great teammates.”