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*An exclusive article by Alex Kline*

He may not be a McDonald’s All American, but Terrence Ross is one of the top shooting guards in the nation. Recently, Ross has been coast to coast from a standpoint of schools. The 6’5 shooter from Oregon was committed at one time to the University of Maryland. This happened back in April of 2009. Eight months later, Ross decided to reopen his recruitment and decommitted from Head Coach Gary Williams’ Terrapins.

However, it doesn’t end there for the 43^rd ranked player by Rivals. Terrence was part of the three headed monster at Montrose Christian in Maryland. Ross, combined with Duke-commit Josh Hairston and 2012 top prospect Justin Anderson, made a triple threat for Montrose. However, it did not last too long. The star shooting guard made his second fascinating decision in several months. Ross, who spent his first two years of high school at Jefferson High in Oregon, decided to return home. This came as a shock after the senior swingman only spent about one and a half years at Montrose Christian. The deal was done and Ross was on his way back to finish off his high school hoops career at Jefferson. This was until his career ended at a halt. It when the Oregon School Activities Association‘s eligibility appeals board denied the school’s petition for a hardship waiver. This was due to the rules of the OSAA. Midyear transfers were ruled ineligible; no exceptions. The coast to coast, and somewhat controversial career of Terrence Ross had come to an end.

What would happen next and would Terrence be open about all of these complex moves? I talked with the man himself to clarify all the big questions about him. From where he’s interested in school to why he decommitted from Maryland, to why he left Montrose Christian, to the possibility of playing with long-time friend and top recruit, Terrence Jones, in college. You’ll only find it here, at boxofmess.com.

Recruiting & Recommitting

Ross, considered one of the top shooting guards in his class, has his list figured out. Right now, he is at, “Kansas, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington, and Oklahoma.” As of now, it appears that each school is even and has its strong points to Terrence. “In Kansas, I like the history. With Kentucky, I like the run and gun type of game they play. Oregon is close to home and is a guard school and Washington is, as well. I like the roster over at Oklahoma.”

All of those traits reflect his interest but what does Terrence look for the most in a school? “A school has to have my major. I want to major in Criminology. Also, I have to like the atmosphere of the gym during game time. Lastly, I have to click with the coaches.” It seems like the five programs he is looking at has what he is looking for.

Despite already taking visits, Ross plans to, “take a couple more visits. I’m not sure where yet.”

One big factor in his recruitment is another Terrence. Terrence Jones, his teammate and close friend from Jefferson, is being recruited by practically the same schools. How about having those two on the same team! With rumors flowing around about it, Ross is open to the idea. “That is something that we have been talking about. We definitely want to go into school together if it’s in both of our best interest. If it doesn’t work then it doesn’t work.” He later went on to say, “I would like to play with him. We grew up together so it would be easy for us to play at the next level together.” Terrence and Terrence together. That must have some college coaches drooling.

As for when everyone will find out where he is going to school, nothing is edged out in stone yet. It is clear though that it will be soon. “I’m going to make a decision come April. As of now, I’m not sure of an exact date or place.”

But wait… why is this? Why didn’t Ross just stick with his original destination, Maryland? As previously stated, he decommitted on New Year’s Eve making it a rough new year for Coach Williams and company. “I didn’t think that Maryland would be a good fit for me. Once I really took the time and thought about it, I thought that I should view all of my options.” Despite the rocky ending with Maryland, a new life has begun and the offers are still off the charts.

Finishing Where He Started

Whether you live there for one year or your entire life, everyone has a tie to their hometown. Terrence Ross was no exception and his mother, Marcine, felt the same way. After starting out the first two years of his career in Oregon, he transferred to Montrose in Maryland to gain more exposure and play a national schedule. However, no one expected Ross to return to Oregon just a year and a half later. “I transferred because my mother thought it would be better if she could oversee my school work. She wanted to make sure that everything was going well.” The Rockville community at Montrose Christian was stunned and baffled by the decision but the two split sides.

With half of Jefferson High’s season already complete, Ross attempted to rejoin the team and help them finish strongly. However, this never wound up working out. As previously mentioned, Ross was declared ineligible for the rest of the season, and ultimately his career, by the OSAA. “They said that it would be breaking the rules if I played so they denied me. Truthfully, I really wasn’t expecting to play once I returned to Oregon. It wasn’t that big of a deal.” Despite the nonchalant attitude, it had a big effect.

With the denial by the OSAA, and being a senior, this meant the long-traveled career of Terrence Ross had come to an end. It certainly had its bright moments when he led Jefferson to a state championship and won 5A player of the year in Oregon. There were the downfalls though when he decommitted from Maryland and abruptly left Montrose Christian. Terrence put it well when he reflected on his career by saying, “It was a lot different from most players’ careers. However, I’ve made the most of it. I just took advantage of the time when I did play.”

The Road Traveled

Terrence Ross is not your average kid. He stands out at the game of basketball and exceeds to his fullest potential. In the coming month, his path will expand even farther with a college decision expected. He could stay local with a Pac-10 school or he could go to a national powerhouse like Kansas, Oklahoma, or Kentucky. The opportunities are limitless for him.

The question remains where will Terrence Jones travel next?

We want to thank Terrence Ross for the tell all interview and answering some very personal questions.

Note- All interviews are done through Facebook/Email/Myspace/Call/Text/Etc. All people are REAL. No fakes here!

Breaking News- Terrence Ross has decided to commit to Washington

Thanks to RealClearSports.com for the photo and CapitalHoops.com for the video.

This work by boxofmess.com/ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at boxofmess.com/.
Attribution No Derivatives
This license allows for redistribution, commercial and non-commercial, as long as it is passed along unchanged and in whole, with credit to boxofmess.com

Josh Hairston and his AAU teammate from DC Assault, Tyler Thornton, both made it clear early on that they liked Duke for Basketball. The two showed this by both commiting to the school. This article is all about Hairston though. The 6’8 rising senior is ranked as the #9 Power Forward in his class and 37th overall by Scout. Hairston posseses great athleticism on the court as well as being a classy person off the court. Recently he has been involved in some big tournaments all over the world! We caught up with Josh to ask him how everything has been going.

Why did you choose to commit to Duke for Basketball? I chose Duke for many reasons, one being that it is close to home. I have family in Southern Virginia, and that gives them the oppurtunity to be able to see me play. I also chose Duke because i feel that will not only help to get me where i want to go with my basketball career, but life after basketball as well.

How does it make you feel knowing that you will play for a legend in Coach K? It makes me feel great that i will be playing for a legend like Coach K, everyone thinks that he is a very strict kind of guy, but he is really laid back and fun to be around.

How did your junior season of basketball go? My Junior year went great, we finished up 27-2 and won a State Championship, the first in school history. I was named district player of the year as well as regional and state player of the year.

You play AAU basketball for DC Assault. How has the season gone so far? The Spring didnt start off as well as i had hoped for DC Assault, but we put that behind us, we are all working on are games and getting better so when July roles around we will be ready to go.

You are playing for the 2K Sports All American team. How big a deal is this for you? Playing with the 2K Sports All American team was big for me, to be able to be on a team with some of the best players in the country was an honor, and im very thankful that i was able to go.

You are playing around a lot of stars on the team. Who have you bonded with the most? I would have to say im close with 3 guys on the team, Josh Selby, Tristan Thompson, and Jared Sullinger.

Can you honestly spell out Coach K’s name? Be Honest!!! Lol yes i can…my mother made me learn how to.

Did Kentucky or Memphis ever get in on your recruitment. If so, were you lured off by all the scandals that are going on there? No they did not.

You were invited to the NBAPA Top 100 Camp. How did this go for you? The Top 100 camp went very well for me…I feel that I performed very well and overall im very happy with how it went.

Why did you decide to commit so early to Duke? I committed so early because i knew that that was where i wanted to go…if you know where you want to go…why keep them waiting??

Hairston is just one of the many key components that will help the Duke recruiting class of 2010 and 2011 be amazing. He passed on some solid offers from Ohio State, Georgetown and others to go here. He could just be the next great thing…. possibly Shelden Williams-esk? We want to thank Josh Hairston for the interview and wish him and his teammates the best of luck for next years season.

Note- All interviews are done through Facebook/Myspace/Email/Text/Call/Etc. All people are REAL. No fakes here!

Thanks to BlueDevilNation.net for the photo.