Arizona's international recruiting has gained plenty of attention this spring, but the highest-rated incoming player is someone who made his decision to pick the Wildcats a long time ago. Phoenix native Dalen Terry committed to play for Sean Miller's team back in July and he has been locked in ever since. The top-50 prospect is someone who fits in well with what Miller likes to have on his roster because of his versatility and ability to become an elite-level defender.
Terry shined as a point guard during his high school career and all of the skills he brings to the table is going to give Miller and his staff another weapon next season.
When speaking with UA play-by-play announcer Brian Jeffries during a video interview last week, the Wildcats head coach brought up Terry's versatility and how much that will help the team during his career.
"To pigeonhole Dalen Terry as just a point guard, just small forward or two guard would be just really unfair," Miller said. "I believe this that he's today's version, the way our game is played, of just a guard. He can play the one, two or three. When I talk about a three-guard lineup he could be that third guard.
"The number one thing that Dalen does well is he's an excellent passer, and he's 6-foot-6."
Terry played at Hillcrest Prep in Phoenix and also played travel basketball with West Coast powerhouse travel team Compton Magic. That gave him plenty of opportunities to go against top competition across the country and anybody who watched Terry during his high school career noticed his competitive nature, especially late in games during high-intensity moments.
That, along with his all-around game, mattered to Miller as he recruited the big four-star guard and it is something the UA head coach believes will help him at the college level.
"He loves to be in the open court with the basketball," Miller said. "He has just an innate ability of being able to find the open man and he does it at 6-foot-6. He competes at a level that I admire. He's a two-way player.
"... He gives great effort as he gets smarter as a defensive player."
As much as he has a chance to help Arizona on the offensive end with his abilities as a distributor, Terry's upside as a defender might end up being what separates him as a player in the Pac-12 Conference. His length and athleticism are key elements of his defense.
"Same with his versatility on defense," Miller said. "He doesn't just guard a certain type of guard. He can guard, really, players all over the court. And, I think with his length and size, that will be something that will serve him well."
Terry is one of five high school-level recruits to sign with the Wildcats in the 2020 class but he is the only American-born player of the group. Kerr Kriisa (Estonia), Daniel Batcho (France), Tibet Görener (Turkey) and Bennedict Mathurn (Canada) are the other four incoming freshmen that will join Terry in Tucson later this year.
