UConn has made the first cut in the recruitment of five-star prospect Demarcus Henry, ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 1 wing and the No. 5 overall player in the Class of 2027.

Talking with his older brother and sister on The Henry Legacy podcast, which dropped Monday night, Henry announced the eight schools that will be moving on with him in his recruitment.

Huskies head coach Dan Hurley and his staff face competition from Arkansas, BYU, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, North Carolina and Ohio State.

What will sway the 6-foot-8, 200-pound Henry as he makes his decision?

Demarcus told his siblings on the podcast that he has an abundance of offers, and they include his dream schools. He thanked all of the schools that recruited him before he narrowed down the list.

“Right now, I have 29 – I think 29 – offers, and to be able to, like, be in this position, like I’m just so grateful. … I never thought I was going to be able to just pick out of the schools like I dreamed of going to.”

More coaches could attempt to step in with a big offer, now that Demarcus' recruitment has grown in status. A year ago, he was ranked No. 25 nationally.

“I just want to say thank you to all the schools that, you know, recruited me,” he said. “Just having one offer is a dream of mine, just to be able to go to college for basketball. It's just a great opportunity. I just want to thank you guys for just believing in my talents.”

Demarcus Henry is a rising senior entering his second year at Arizona Compass Prep. He played his freshman season at Withrow High School in Cincinnati, then his sophomore year at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, Calif.

In his junior season, Arizona Compass Prep finished 14-2 and as the runner-up in the EYBL Scholastic League. According to 247Sports, Henry averaged 12.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game, shooting 38% from 3-point range and 45% overall.

In the playoffs, he had averages of 14.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game over three contests.

In June, he was the top scorer at the NBPA Top 100 Camp at Rock Hill, S.C., per 247Sports. Also last month, he was invited to join mostly 2026 prospects and be part of the U.S. team that won the silver medal at the FIBA U18 AmeriCup in Mexico. Incoming UConn freshman Colben Landrew was a starter of that team.

That was pretty clear after his brother asked Demarcus why he picked these eight schools. He will choose a college that keeps communicating with him and shows him a path to the NBA.

The Huskies can do that by reminding him of the four consecutive NBA drafts with first-round picks from UConn – Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. (2026), Liam McNeeley (2025), Stephon Castle and Donovan Clingan (2024), and Jordan Hawkins (2023).

With the second-round selections of Tyrese Martin (2022) and James Bouknight (2021), a UConn player has been selected in six consecutive drafts. Duke and Baylor are the only other NCAA schools that can make that same claim.

"I feel like these eight schools are schools that can just help me pursue my dreams, and just get me there, and develop me the best to my abilities, and be able to help me reach my potential I can reach," Demarcus said on the podcast.

"I just feel like, to narrow it down, those are the best opportunities I have for me to reach the NBA."

If only emotions played into the decision, Ohio State likely would earn his commitment. It’s important to understand his back story.

Seini, Chris Jr. and Demarcus are the children of former NFL wide receiver Chris Henry, who died Dec. 17, 2009, the day after he suffered fatal injuries when he fell out of a moving pickup truck in Charlotte, N.C.

The elder Henry was just 26 at the time of his death, which occurred in the midst of a domestic issue with his fiancée, who was driving.

DeMarcus isn’t looking at his father’s alma mater, West Virginia. The elder Henry was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Injuries limited him to 55 games (12 starts) in his career, and he gained 1,826 yards on 119 receptions with 21 touchdown catches.

At the time of their father’s death, sister Seini was 3, Chris Jr. 2 and Demarcus just 10 months old.

On the podcast, it’s clear the three Henry kids have an extraordinarily close relationship.

Seini will be a redshirt junior on the women’s basketball team at Ohio State this fall.

Chris Jr., a five-star member of the football Class of 2026, has enrolled at the school ahead of his freshman season with the Buckeyes, poised to become the next receiver in the Ohio State legacy. He had his own recruiting journey, with coaches coveting the nation’s No. 2 wide receiver and No. 11 overall player.

No one would blame Demarcus for choosing Ohio State, if he does. He’d have his two siblings right there with him.

But some other coaches sure will give it the old college try.

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