After his career-high 18 points against Oregon last week, Jason Terry explained where he'd been all year.

He likes to laugh, to joke around, he said. He's a freshman, he wants to have fun.

"My personality kind of takes over. I got it from Joseph Blair when I first got here. He was a clown too," Terry said. "I just want to be like him, be like the older guys."

That was the problem. Full of promise when he arrived, the 6-foot-2, 168-pound Terry, from Seattle's Franklin High School, was thought to not only be the point guard of the future, but maybe even of the present. It was speculated (more in the media than anywhere else) that Terry, who caught UA head coach Lute Olson's eye with solid, fundamental defense, might challenge incumbent senior Reggie Geary for the position before the season ended.

After some initial success - three assists in the season opener against Long Beach State, seven points versus Montana in early December - Terry fell off the map and to the end of the bench.

Olson said it was all very simple - Terry wasn't serious enough. Olson felt Terry was not giving his basketball job the kind of attention and concentration it required when he was in practice. Until that happened, Terry would not receive playing time.

In the 10 games in the month and a half following the Montana game, Terry's numbers reflected his situation. Six points, four rebounds, three assists - that wasn't his average, but his totals. He had his warm-ups on so much, people forgot about his knee-high socks.

Then about five weeks ago, according to UA assistant coach Jim Rosborough, who specializes in working with the Wildcats' perimeter players, Terry "started getting a clue."

"Coach Olson told me I needed to take a more serious approach to everything - my studies and my game," Terry said.

Whatever Olson said, it must have worked. Terry's concentration in practice became focused on the game, not on jokes. He started making better decisions on the floor, and that led the coaches to make their own decision - to put Terry back on court.

"You need to come out and produce in practice, and Jason really picked that up," Rosborough said. "He wasn't having much success at first, but he was bright enough to know he wanted to play."

Play he has. After getting about five minutes a game in the nonconference schedule, Terry now garners just over 11 minutes a game in the Pacific 10 Conference season. In that stretch he has twice set a new career-high in points (10 against Arizona State before his 18 against the Ducks) and is third on the team with 11 steals. More importantly, the coaches feel confident putting him in the game to spell Geary or to play alongside him as a two guard.

Perhaps even more surprising has been his shooting touch. Recruited for defense and quickness, Terry has blossomed into a team-leading, 50.0 percent shooter from the 3-point line and a 52.5 percent shooter overall.

"I saw him a lot in the summer and saw him as a defender and as someone to get the ball upcourt. Personally, I didn't count on him for offense," Rosborough said. "But he's worked on it and it's paid off."

"Since the Washington game, (Feb. 1) I found myself getting more confident each and every minute in there," Terry said. "I thought it would happen earlier, but I hit, I wouldn't call it a slump, but a learning period. I came out of that and started to play alright."

While Terry and Rosborough couldn't pinpoint a moment that marked the beginning of Terry's change, the players certainly have noticed the difference.

"Plays he wasn't getting at the beginning, he's getting now," senior forward Corey Williams said. "The thing that makes J.T. such a great kid is that he has a good attitude, and attitude can take you a long way. He's made so much progress, and he's setting himself up well for a successful career."

Next season, Terry will be one of a handful of players that will be counted on to run the UA offense.

This year's Wildcat director on the floor, Geary, has no doubt Terry will be able to handle that challenge.

"He's proving he can play the one or two guard spot," Geary said. "The future is very bright for him."

As for his sense of humor, Terry still tries to keep that in check when he should be focused on basketball. He also has shown that maybe he's growing up - a little.

"I pick my spots now. I don't try to be funny all the time, but my personality kind of takes over," he said.