Tyrell Terry, a 6-foot-2 junior guard from Minneapolis (MN) DeLaSalle, is considered one of the top players in the Minnesota Class of 2019.
Terry is averaging 17.2 points per game this season. He scored in double figures in all but four games, including a season-best 47 points versus Fridley. He has seven games of twenty or more points.
Terry has helped lead the Islanders to a 21-4 mark this season. They face Minneapolis Patrick Henry Wednesday in the first round in the Section 6AAA playoffs.
Terry caught up with Gopher Hole recently to learn the latest on his junior season and his recruitment.
Gopher Hole: You guys are playing extremely well right now. You had a couple of tough losses early in the season to some really teams. Do you think that helped you playing those tough teams?
Tyrell Terry: Yes, we had to go through some adversary through those games. The first game, we were missing a starter that we lost and the other game, we were missing a starter. Those games helped us close out games and fight through adversary, which we had to do this week, even though we went 4-0. It helped us fight through adversary, which is good for any team.
Gopher Hole: You played some other good teams like Iowa City West and Hopkins. You played in Cedar Falls and Mitchell, South Dakota. Do you like those experiences of traveling together and getting good chemistry among your teammates?
Tyrell Terry: It helps us build chemistry very well. Those bus rides, you get to know your teammates very well. The nights in the hotels and just going and beating good teams on the road is always good for team morale.
Gopher Hole: Is that kind of fun because not a lot of other kids get an opportunity chance to play outside the state of Minnesota?
Tyrell Terry: It is very fun. Traveling to different state for high school season is very fun. AAU, it is a blast, so it is also doing it during the high school season, too.
Gopher Hole: What is the latest on your recruitment? How many offers are you up to right now?
Tyrell Terry: I have six offers right now.
Gopher Hole: Who do you have right now?
Tyrell Terry: I have Butler, Iowa, Nebraska, Drake, North Dakota and Northern Iowa.
Gopher Hole: You are only a junior and yet you have received quite a few nice offers. How pleased are you with that?
Tyrell Terry: It is a blessing. Going to college for free and having the opportunity to play at the next level is a blessing. I am just very grateful for every day and I am going to be grateful for any more offers that come.
Gopher Hole: Does that even push you a little harder to continue to improve yourself and get even more looks?
Tyrell Terry: My goal is to not stop here. I want to play right away in college, so on a day-to-day basis, I just want to get better, so I am ready to play at the next level.
Gopher Hole: What other schools are you hearing besides the schools that have offered you?
Tyrell Terry: I am hearing from Stanford (who has since offered), Xavier, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Gopher Hole: DeLaSalle and Minnesota have quite a connection with Gabe Kalscheur going to be there and Jarvis Johnson. Former DeLaSalle player Ben Johnson is a coach there. What are you hearing from the homestate school?
Tyrell Terry: They like how I play. The recruiting is a little bit on and off with them, but I know that it was during the season, so they had to focus on their season. I am excited to see where their recruiting goes with them after the season ends.
Gopher Hole: I know that your schedule has been so busy, but have you had a chance to go to many college basketball games this year?
Tyrell Terry: I have been to Minnesota games, but other than that, I haven’t been to many, but I am possibly planning on going to an Iowa State game because they have been recruiting me.
Gopher Hole: What Gopher games were you at?
Tyrell Terry: I was at Miami and an exhibition game.
Gopher Hole: The Miami game was when they had a lot of other instate kids that they were recruiting and a great atmosphere and the Gophers were playing really well at the time before the injuries. What was that atmosphere like?
Tyrell Terry: It was crazy. To play for the homestate would be incredible, especially that atmosphere. Having the whole state have your back. It would be an incredible experience.
Gopher Hole: Do games like that get you more excited about the prospect of playing college basketball?
Tyrell Terry: Yeah, yeah. Playing in a crowd like that is always fun. Even the crowd here at DeLaSalle gets me going, so I can’t imagine what it would like at the college level.
Gopher Hole: What do you think it will mean to you when you are a freshman to walk onto that court for your very first game?
Tyrell Terry: I think it is just going to be, I am going to be overwhelmed, but I am going to feel so blessed because very few people get the opportunity to do that, so it is going to be a great experience.
Gopher Hole: DeLaSalle has been a school that has produced a lot of Division I kids like Jarvis, Gabe, Sacar (Anim) and some others. Does that show you that if you do the things that they have done that you can get to that same Division I level?
Tyrell Terry: Goanar (Mar) and Gabe playing with them. They have been mentors for me. They know what it takes to get a Division I offer and they have given me advice. I just take it in and it has gotten me to where I am today.
Gopher Hole: What will it mean to play Division I basketball?
Tyrell Terry: It is just going to be a blessing. Like I said, very few people get the opportunity to do that, so when I get the opportunity to do that, I am going to be grateful. Very grateful.
Gopher Hole: What about the possibility of playing for the homestate school?
Tyrell Terry: It would be very great to have the whole state have your back. I see the support that Gabe gets on a daily basis, so it would be a great experience and it would be very, very good for me.