Mike Henderson, a highly regarded point guard from Waterloo East High School, has backed out on his verbal comittment to Iowa State.

Last October, before his junior season at East High, Henderson gave Iowa State his word that he would compete for ISU men’s basketball head coach Larry Eustachy in 2003.

NCAA rules prohibit Eustachy from commenting on a potential recruits until they have officially signed a letter of intent to attend the school, an ISU sports information spokesman said.

Henderson could not be reached for comment.

The 6-foot-3, 190 pound floor general has led East High in their run for a state championship the last two seasons. In both years, the Trojans were high in the state rankings.

Last March, East beat then-undefeated Iowa City West before losing to Sioux City East High School in the Iowa Class 4-A title game, 55-52.

Henderson averaged 14.6 points per game and made 53 percent of his shots from the field as East went 22-3 last season. He also made 35 percent of his shots from three-point range and was a first team all-state selection.

Two seasons ago, Henderson earned second team all-state honors as East was 20-2.

Henderson received his first scholarship offer from the University of Northern Iowa when he was in the eighth grade, but did not accept it, according to iowapreps.rivals.com.

The site also said Henderson has been recruited by Iowa and perennial powerhouses Kansas, Arizona and Florida. ESPN.com’s summer rankings has the Wildcats top-ranked in the nation for next season.

The senior-to-be was the first verbal commitment for Eustachy’s 2003-2004 class.

Henderson’s coach at East, Steve McGraw seemed surprised at Henderson’s decision when contacted at his home Monday. He said Henderson is in Florida right now and has had little contact with him recently.

McGraw said he was told by ISU basketball coaches that Henderson has backed out of his verbal committment to Iowa State.

“I don’t know why,” McGraw said. “I can confirm that that’s what the Iowa State coaches told me.”

It has been rumored that Henderson has increased his stock since committing to the Cyclones and has opened the eyes of other programs. Henderson competes in AAU basketball with Martin Bros. – a team consisting of University of Iowa recruits Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner and others.

Eustachy has already inked point guard Tim Barnes to attend Iowa State this fall. Barnes is expected to compete with Ricky Morgan for the point guard position as the Cyclones look to replace Jamaal Tinsley, who now plays with the Indiana Pacers.