When Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko announced their decisions to enter the NBA Draft in recent weeks, neither player specified if they would be leaving open the possibility of a return to Arizona. College underclassmen have until June 1 to decide if they want to return to school to continue their careers.
Someone who is leaving open that possibility and making it clear that he could make a return to the Wildcats is sophomore guard Dalen Terry. The Phoenix native, who shined as an important glue player for UA last season, has announced his plans to enter the NBA Draft.
He did so with the caveat that he will be maintaining his college eligibility in the meantime while he goes through the draft process.
“First and foremost, I’d like to thank coach Lloyd and coach Miller for recruiting me and giving me the opportunity to come to the University of Arizona and play for this historic program,” Terry wrote in a post made to social media Friday afternoon. “I want to thank the entire Arizona community for accepting a PHX kid with open arms and making me feel at home in Tucson. I want to thank my family for always pushing me and encouraging me to chase my dreams. Without everyone of you sacrificing for me, I wouldn’t be here today.
“I also want to thank my teammates for every single moment we had on and off the floor. I’m lucky to have all of you guys as my brothers. With that being said, I would like to announce that I will be declaring for the NBA Draft while maintaining my college eligibility.”
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In the past, hiring an agent would keep a player from being able to return to school. However, the NCAA rules have been modified in recent years to allow for players to retain their college eligibility as long as they hire an NCAA-approved agent to help them through the draft process.
Should Terry ultimately decide that he wants to return to Arizona, he will be allowed to do so under the current rules as long as he makes that decision by the beginning of June. That will allow him to work out for teams and participate in the NBA Draft Combine in May, should he earn an invitation, before being required to make his decision.
Terry raised his game to a new level in the first season under Tommy Lloyd after joining the program as a top-rated recruit under previous head coach Sean Miller. As a sophomore, Terry became an important piece of the starting lineup as a versatile guard in Lloyd's system.
He finished the 2021-22 season second on the team with 3.9 assists to go along with eight points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Wildcats. Terry shined toward the end of the season scoring in double figures in four of the last five games for UA.
That includes scoring 17 points against Houston plus scoring five points, dishing out five assists, grabbing four rebounds and collecting five steals against TCU in Arizona's NCAA Tournament run. In all, he averaged 12.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and four assists during three NCAA Tournament games this year.
Most projections that have Terry included as a draft prospect have him slotted as a likely second-round pick in this summer's NBA Draft.
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