One of Georgia Tech basketball’s important offseason acquisitions already was in the program.
Lance Terry, a senior, missed the 2023-24 season with a calf injury. He was actually cleared to resume practicing with Tech in December, but elected to redshirt and save his final season of eligibility for this season.
“Hated it for the longest time, but it was kind of good for me to get to see stuff from the coaches’ perspective instead of just from a player’s side,” Terry said Friday. “I got to see a lot of what they were saying, what they were feeling aside from what we were going through. It helped me understand the game a lot better.”
Terry was expected to be a major component of Tech’s efforts in 2023-24, the first season for coach Damon Stoudamire. So much so that the program put him on stage during the ACC’s leaguewide media event in Charlotte, North Carolina, in October 2023.
But Terry never stepped on the court for the Yellow Jackets. He said he felt pain in his calf muscle in September, on his father’s birthday to be exact, and then heard it pop during a workout about a week later. Terry made one final effort to return to action in November before the Jackets played a game at Cincinnati, and the injury wouldn’t subside.
Thus, Stoudamire never had Terry’s 10.1 points per game or 38.8% 3-point shooting in his lineup.
“I love Lance, first of all. I’m excited to have him. Lance is a pillar of the program. Lance, for me, is a jack of all trades. He’s a guy that is a two-way player. He’s only gonna get better. And the thing about it, I feel like I can move him around a lot. The versatility of him is gonna be big, because he plays bigger. That’s the biggest thing. His ability to make a big shot and still make a big shot on the defensive end will resonate with this team.
“I don’t know whether that’s starting or coming off the bench, but the minutes, he’ll play a lot of ‘em. I look forward to having him back.”
Terry attended The Heritage School in Newnan, where he won a GISA state championship, and then began his college career at Gardner-Webb. His junior season there he became an all-Big South Conference selection after averaging 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a steal per game.
A hairline fracture in his foot during his high school career slowed Terry’s production somewhat and derailed Terry’s prospects as a recruit — power conference programs somewhat backed off in their courtship of the guard. Terry then missed 17 games his freshman season at Gardner-Webb when that same foot was deemed broken, and then played in only nine games as a sophomore.
But his junior season in Boiling Springs, North Carolina, was a breakout one. Terry scored in double figures in all but four games, totaled 16 points at Arkansas, 15 points at Duke and 14 points in a win at Georgia.
Those performances gave him confidence he could compete and perform at a higher level. He announced a decision to play for Tech in April 2022 and would then start 21 of the 29 games he played for coach Josh Pastner in the 2022-23 campaign.
Terry scored matched his career high of 24 points in wins against Miami and Syracuse, hitting seven 3′s in the latter performance. He’s banking on returning toward that sort of production next month when Tech opens the season.
“I’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger,” Terry said. “Basketball-wise, just being able to work on my shot a lot more and being way more consistent than I was two years ago.”
Terry is one of three veteran guards Stoudamire has at his disposal this season, along with seniors Kowacie Reeves and Javian McCollum, an Oklahoma transfer. Tech also has starting point guard Nait George, a sophomore, back in the program.
That quartet will make it hard for opposing defenses to defend the Jackets, Terry believes. He’s also anxious to truly be a part of that foursome — and the team again.
“I still have to do maintenance on my body just to make sure nothing else progresses. But it honestly feels really good just to know I’m gonna be out there this year,” he said. “I’m ready just to be out there. I’ve waited a whole year and a half just to go out there. I’m a little bit nervous though, first-game jitters, but I may be OK after that.”
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