Wednesday September 5, 2001

Former UA standout plans to do more than play basketball in the Goodwill Games

On the other side of the ocean this summer, one man on the U.S. Goodwill Games team will play for more than a gold medal.

He'll play for redemption.

Jason Terry, an All-American with UA in 1999, was selected to team USA after two successful seasons in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks. While his career may be taking off, the memory of a scandal that erupted at UA last year remains grounded in the memory of many Wildcat fans.

During the summer of 2000, the NCAA ruled that the 1999 Sports Illustrated and Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Year took over $10,000 from sports agents during the summer before his senior season.

Arizona was penalized for his actions as they were ruled ineligible in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, which meant the school lost all of its TV revenue, an amount totaling well over $40,000.

Terry repaid Arizona for its financial loss, but he lost more than money by breaking the strict rules of the NCAA governing body.

A player considered by most to be one of the greatest players to ever wear a Wildcat jersey is now ineligible for UA's Bank One Sports Hall of Fame. He'll also never have his jersey retired, which is customary for all UA players honored as a National Player of the Year.

Even though his alma mater treats him like he never existed, Terry said he has not let this incident hold him back during his first two seasons in the NBA.

Last season, the second-year shooting guard averaged 19.7 points and 4.9 assists a game for the Hawks.

Besides being a rising star in the NBA, Terry makes time between practices and games to give back to the Atlanta community.

His devotion to children earned him a spot as one of the spokespeople for this year's U.S. team, and he said he plans to use this platform to inspire them to follow their goals.

"The kids are what it is all about," Terry said. "I try to tell them that if they set goals and work hard, that if they shoot for the stars, that you might land on one of them."

While in Melbourne, Australia last week preparing for the start of the games, Terry and teammates Calvin Booth and Kenyon Martin visited young cancer patients at the Royal Children's Hospital.

"The kids were very happy that we were there, it was a very touching experience." Terry told Goodwill Games representatives. "Any time you go out into the community and are able to put a smile on a young kid's face, it really means a lot. It really makes you see reality.

"They didn't really know who we were, but just being there made them feel good. They were excited to just have somebody other then their parents there to come and talk to them and share some time."

USA's head basketball coach Flip Saunders is excited about having the opportunity to coach such a dynamic player in Terry.

"I knew Jason, and I studied him when he came out of college," Saunders said. "Everybody knows that he has the ability to score, but he really shows a lot of leadership ability and he is really competitive defensively."

Saunders is pleased with Terry's defensive intensity, but he said he realizes the offensive potential Terry brings to the team.

"Jason has the ability (to score) more than anyone else that we have and he has proven this in the league," Saunders said. "He's becoming one of the real players that has the ability to get off his own shot pretty much whenever he wants. He is going to have the ability with us to score some points in a bundle, to be able to break defenses down and also create some shots for some other people. He established himself last season as one of the best scorers in the league."

This year's U.S.A. basketball team consists of NBA players like former UCLA and current Charlotte Hornet point guard Baron Davis, Phoenix Suns forward Shawn Marion, and former Duke star and current Memphis Grizzlies forward Shane Battier.

During Terry's college days at Arizona, Davis and Terry battled year in and year out in the Pacific 10 Conference in order to prove who was the best point guard within the conference.

However, both are excited about having an opportunity to play aside one another, instead of against each other.

"I am definitely excited with playing with my buddy Baron Davis," Terry said. "In the Pac-10, we battled with each other for so many years. It will be nice to join forces with him. It should be a deadly backcourt."

Davis said he is looking forward to playing with such an intense backcourt play.

"Jason is tremendously fast," Davis said. "We both play defense very well, so we are going to pressure the guards and force them into a lot of turnovers and it should get us going offensively with fast break points."

Cleveland Cavalier point guard Andre Miller is also looking forward to playing with Terry and Davis.

"Those guys are great competitors, and that's why I like playing with them, and we will all bring something different to the table," Miller said. "Jason Terry is quicker than Baron Davis, and he is a better shooter then I am. He can make things happen, whereas Baron and I are stronger guards that can get to the basket and make plays for other people."

In the past year, Terry has overcome scandal and he has grown into one of the premier guards in the NBA.

Terry credits a lot of his success on and off the court to UA men's head basketball coach Lute Olson.

"Coach Olson helped me develop into a well-rounded human being," Terry said. "He has extremely high expectations of his players, and as a young man, I needed that in order to be able to grow into a man."

Team USA is well on its way to another gold medal. USA is 3-0, racking up victories over Mexico and Argentina by a combined total of 104 points.

Team USA also defeated Cuba last night.