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Colleges High School MLB Players Recruiting

Xavier Henry Will Be A Tiger

You heard it here first.  I had the privilege of watching Xavier play live at the AAU Championships in Orlando, FL back in July and the pleasure of speaking with him briefly after one of his games.  The AAU Athletes First team member told me, at the time, that he was between Kansas, UCLA, Memphis, and UNC.  Originally, I believed that Kansas had the best shot at securing Henry, who is definitely one of the best high school players in the country at this moment.  Later, I changed my mind to Memphis.  Today’s news reaffirms my belief that the Memphis Tigers are winning the race for obtaining Xavier Henry’s services.

Xavier Henry has a brother named C.J., who is in the New York Yankees organization.  When a player signs with a club after getting drafted, often times, the MLB team will offer a signing bonus along with an additional education bonus so that if said player decides that he wants to obtain his college degree at a point in the future, the team will pay for his enrollment.  This bonus is obviously not available for a player who has graduated college and is selected after receiving his degree.  Anyway, C.J. has decided to use his educational bonus and recently became a Memphis Tiger.

C.J. will play basketball for the Tigers.  He was a solid player in high school, and actually committed to Kansas before deciding to sign with the Yankees.  Why would his brother, Xavier, not do the same exact thing?  Memphis is one of, if not the best, college basketball programs in the country.  The Tigers have expressed interest in Xavier, and I am led to believe that a big reason they want C.J. is to strengthen their chances in acquiring Xavier.  By next year, I think that you will be looking at two Henry’s proudly wearing blue and white.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

3 replies on “Xavier Henry Will Be A Tiger”

since you spoke with him do you see yourself landing him in the future? what kind of things did you speak with him about to get your “foot in the door.”

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