Grant Greabell is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Horizon Honors for AZPreps365.com.

Chris Henderson always wanted a head coaching job and it was Horizon who finally gave him the chance four years ago.

Henderson is passionate and works tirelessly to give his players the best chance to succeed. Which is why it is surprising that his wife, Kaitlin, had to convince him to even interview for the position.

“My wife was like, how many times are you going to get a phone call to come interview for a varsity job?” said Henderson.

At the time, Henderson had just stepped back from a junior varsity position at Betty Fairfax High School. He also taught math at Betty Fairfax and was working on obtaining his master’s degree, which he had one more year left to finish.

This meant if he got the job at Horizon Honors, he would have to finish his master’s, go from home to Fairfax to Horizon and back home every day, and build a program from the ground up.

That is exactly what he did.

“It was a matter of trying to remind him to look long-term. Although it would be a rough next year, after that I think he would appreciate it and I think he’s super happy to still be coaching there,” said Kaitlin.

A rough year it was. Henderson would often wake up earlier than his wife and go to bed after her. He was constantly busy day after day. Teaching at Betty Fairfax, coaching at Horizon Honors and finishing out his master’s took a toll on Henderson. But, thanks to his work ethic and help from those close to him, he navigated his way through it.

“It was probably the hardest year of my life. There is absolutely no way that I would have made it through that year without an absolute mental breakdown without my wife,” said Henderson.

Kaitlin went above and beyond in helping her husband during that year but as she humbly puts it, “I just kept him fed.”

However, without her, Henderson might have not ever coached at Horizon Honors. Not only because she convinced him to take the interview, but she also knew the athletic director, Nate Agostini, who hired Henderson.

Agostini was her former high school basketball coach and when Horizon needed a new coach, Agostini remembered that Kaitlin’s husband had coached at Fairfax previously and gave her a call.

“I made the connection, but Chris got the job all on his own, but I definitely made the connection,” said Kaitlin.

This is not to say Henderson was handed the job because of that connection. He gained the knowledge and experience coaching at Betty Fairfax for six years, five as the JV coach and one as the freshman coach, and he already had the work ethic.

He also gained a lifetime friend and coaching peer, Josh Wray. Wray was the head coach there for five of the six years Henderson spent at Betty Fairfax and still is the head coach to this day.

“I could just tell immediately when I met Chris that he’d be a great coach. We kind of grew together as coaches and as people,” said Wray.

Henderson’s first year at Betty Fairfax, he was the freshman coach and Wray was the JV coach. After that year, the varsity coach left and they each got bumped up a spot.

“For the most part, working with the Fairfax crew and Josh Wray has been probably the most important influence I have coaching for sure,” said Henderson.

To this day they remain friends and annoy their other friends during poker night by talking about basketball too much. They even travel to a coach’s clinic in Las Vegas every year and take notes together. They are constantly bouncing ideas off each other.

Wray is also a math teacher, so the conversation does not stop at basketball. They help each other not only grow as coaches, but as teachers too. However, this relationship would not be where it is today without Henderson’s white Toyota Corolla.

“This sounds ridiculous, but it was incredibly powerful. We carpooled to work together every day,” said Wray. “Chris has this white Toyota Corolla and every day we had hop in this Corolla and drive down Baseline for 45 minutes. We would talk basketball, teaching math and we’d talk about life and just everything.”

They keep pushing each other to be better and Henderson recognizes Wray as one of his best friends and the closest thing he ever had to a mentor in the coaching world.

“To this day we talk at least twice a week about basketball. I still collaborate with him just as much as I did when I was working with him,” said Henderson. “What’s funny is that we collaborate on math probably just as much as we do basketball. I still work with him all the time.”

In his four years at Horizon, Henderson has only grown as a coach and has built the program around toughness. He has been building that brand since the day he set foot at Horizon and while they may not always be the biggest or most athletic team, they will most certainly be the hardest working and toughest team.

Henderson has even started doing boxing workouts to engrain that mental toughness and grit in his players. He puts everything he has into his coaching career.

“He’s the hardest worker you will ever meet. His students and his players are so lucky to have him because he will never quit on them. He just is always working hard for them,” said Kaitlin Henderson.

His players appreciate him more as a person than a coach or teacher.

“He’s a great dude and he really cares about his players and his students. He is definitely dedicated to the game and to those relationships,” said Ben Brady, who played for Henderson for four years at Horizon.

Horizon Honors has made the playoffs two out of the four years he coached. He also still helps former players with basketball, math and life in general. If you have made a connection with Henderson, it will not get lost.

“I can’t say enough good things about him, great guy and a great coach. He is a great human being honestly. He is a great role model for kids and if I had a kid, I would want my kid to play for Chris,” said Wray.