The Pierre Henderson-Niles weight loss plan: shed 70 pounds in 3 months
By: Elliot Wardlow
Issue date: 11/4/08 Section: Sports
Tiger fans may be surprised at what they see when the new-look Pierre Henderson-Niles takes the court for the Tigers this season. At the end of last season, Henderson-Niles weighed 350 lbs., but diet and exercise during the offseason have dropped him to 299.
With the extra weight off, Henderson-Niles is expected to be a solid contributor to the Tigers this season.
"I am jumping higher than ever, and my footwork is quicker," he said.
Calipari's goal is for him to be at 280 lbs. by the beginning of the season.
"I should be able to make it by Nov. 17," Niles said. "I just have to stay away from the (dinner) table."
Henderson-Niles said before he went on his diet, he ate some of everything. Now, instead of eating fried foods, he eats baked chicken and fish and "a lot of salads."
With Thanksgiving approaching, overindulging on turkey and other holiday favorites can be tempting for someone on a diet.
"Oh, I'm going to eat something," Henderson-Niles said. "But it will probably be only one plate."
The Tigers' coaching staff is obviously very pleased with Henderson-Niles' hard work.
"This year, we are long and athletic," said Coach John Calipari, and now Henderson-Niles fits into that category.
As a freshman, the big man played 185 minutes. But as a sophomore, that number dropped to only 98 minutes. That has to do somewhat with the successful play of fellow big men Joey Dorsey and Shawn Taggart last year. Now with Dorsey playing professional ball and Niles' weight down, he should be ready for a bigger workload.
"What Pierre has done is put himself in a position to be a player on this team," Calipari said. "He's capable of playing about 10 times as much as he did last year, so he's up to about four minutes a half. He needs to be able to play about 50 times as much as last year."
While Calipari said he's proud of what Henderson-Niles has done so far, he still has to lose "about 15 pounds."
With the extra weight off, Henderson-Niles is expected to be a solid contributor to the Tigers this season.
"I am jumping higher than ever, and my footwork is quicker," he said.
Calipari's goal is for him to be at 280 lbs. by the beginning of the season.
"I should be able to make it by Nov. 17," Niles said. "I just have to stay away from the (dinner) table."
Henderson-Niles said before he went on his diet, he ate some of everything. Now, instead of eating fried foods, he eats baked chicken and fish and "a lot of salads."
With Thanksgiving approaching, overindulging on turkey and other holiday favorites can be tempting for someone on a diet.
"Oh, I'm going to eat something," Henderson-Niles said. "But it will probably be only one plate."
The Tigers' coaching staff is obviously very pleased with Henderson-Niles' hard work.
"This year, we are long and athletic," said Coach John Calipari, and now Henderson-Niles fits into that category.
As a freshman, the big man played 185 minutes. But as a sophomore, that number dropped to only 98 minutes. That has to do somewhat with the successful play of fellow big men Joey Dorsey and Shawn Taggart last year. Now with Dorsey playing professional ball and Niles' weight down, he should be ready for a bigger workload.
"What Pierre has done is put himself in a position to be a player on this team," Calipari said. "He's capable of playing about 10 times as much as he did last year, so he's up to about four minutes a half. He needs to be able to play about 50 times as much as last year."
While Calipari said he's proud of what Henderson-Niles has done so far, he still has to lose "about 15 pounds."