Anchorage’s Vante Hendrix is a problem around the rim.
A lethal scorer when he heats up, Anchorage’s Vante Hendrix caught fire last week in Kazakhstan and burned the nets for his second 40-point game of the season.
His hard-to-guard driving game fueled 13-for-13 shooting inside the arc as the 6-foot-5 playmaker sliced and diced opponents on his way to the rim, cutting the Tobol defense to pieces and leading Aktobe to a 105-89 victory.
Hendrix, of West High fame, made 15-of-19 field goals and was 8-of-9 on free throws to go with 10 rebounds and nine assists, just missing a triple-double.
This was his second 40-point game of the season as he finished sixth in the country’s National League scoring race at 17.2 points in 34 games.
Hendrix was in pit-bull mode and ferociously attacked the rim to rip through the Tobol defenders, who were incapable of slowing him down.
Vante Hendrix had a strong performance yesterday resulting in an unbelievable 40 points in his last game in the Kazakhstan league. #Basketball #Eurobasket #TopScorers #TopScorersOfTheDay #PlayerOfTheWeek#Kazakhstan #Aktobe #Proliga@Vante_Hendrix14 @IP_sport pic.twitter.com/ZfTI2Rer3b
— Eurobasket (@EurobasketNews) May 15, 2024
Hendrix is among six Alaskans to reach the 40-point benchmark in a pro game; the others are Jason Kaiser (Australia), Travante Williams (Georgia), Jalil Abdul-Bassit (Mexico), Ramon Harris (China) and Carlos Boozer (NBA).
Hendrix averaged 8.4 points in 30 career games in college spread across stops at Utah, New Mexico and Cal State Northridge. He played his rookie season as a pro in Portugal where he averaged 21 points a game and grabbed 17 rebounds in a game.
He came to Kazakhstan this year and started the season with a team called Barsy Atyrau before leaving and staying in the division by joining Aktobe, which he led to the league semifinals before a Game 4 loss ended its title dreams.
In addition to his two 40-point games, Hendrix also had nine games with double-digit rebounds (season high of 13) to go with a career-high 11 assists in the final game of the season.
Hendrix is among just six Alaskans to have 11 or more assists at the pro level; the others are Brooks Thompson (NBA), Mario Chalmers (NBA), Daishen Nix (G League), Derrick Wilson (Sweden), Doron Perkins (China) and Peter Bullock (Norway).
