When Shelton Henderson walked off the court at the Alamodome on March 8, he did so as a leader of the greatest season in Bellaire basketball history. The sting of defeat in the state championship game will fade, but the memory of Henderson’s massive accomplishments shouldn’t.

It’s time for Bellaire to do something it has never done before: retire a jersey number. 

In the world of professional basketball, retiring a jersey is one of the greatest symbols of respect, with a notable recipient of this honor being Lebron James. By retiring Henderson’s Jersey #1, we can honor his accomplishments both on and off the court.

The Cardinals’ Cinderella run from an unranked team at the beginning of the playoffs to competing in the state championship captivated Houston’s basketball community. Ten straight wins. Upset after upset. A community invigorated. And at the center of it all: a 6’6 phenom who refused to let his team be overlooked.

His numbers speak for themselves—averaging about 19 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals per game. But his impact extended far off the court. 

“I’ve been at Bellaire for four years and never seen anything like this,“ senior Alen Polatbekov said. “Shelton transformed our school spirit overnight, and by the playoff run, everyone was talking about the basketball team.”

Henderson’s gravity pulled the entire school into the orbit of Cardinal basketball and transformed Bellaire’s athletic identity virtually overnight.

Students who had never attended a basketball game suddenly couldn’t miss one. Teachers who normally sat at home in their recliners traded comfortable evenings for bleacher seats. Junior Cooper Bayne even showed up wearing a custom “Shebron” jersey — a clever mashup of Shelton Henderson and NBA player LeBron James.

The Alamodome scoreboard may have favored Bellaire’s opponent when the final buzzer sounded, but the loss doesn’t diminish what was accomplished. Sometimes near-misses create legacies as powerful as championships — especially when they represent the farthest a program has ever gone.

Bellaire should act now. Don’t wait until Henderson’s collegiate career ends. Don’t wait until memories fade. Raise that number to the rafters before next season tips off.

Because in 20 years, when people ask about the greatest Cardinal team ever assembled and the player who elevated Bellaire basketball to unprecedented heights, they should be able to look up and see the answer.