Welcome to A10 Talk’s Top Pre-Season Top 25 Player Countdown for the 2016-17 season. Each day, we’ll be publishing a new article counting down our best 25 players for the coming season. Today, we feature #21 Jared Terrell of Rhode Island.
What’s He’s Done
As a sophomore, Jared Terrell was one of the most underrated players in the Atlantic 10. With countless injuries plaguing Dan Hurley’s squad last season, Terrell stepped up and delivered some key performances that helped the Rams avoid a disastrous season. Now with reinforcements, Terrell will look to lead his team into the NCAA Tournament field and into the deeper rounds.
Jared Terrell led the Rams in scoring last season (13.6 PPG) and in playing time (35.5 MPG). He was such a key contributor on the floor, that his 87.8% of possible minutes played ranked 63rd in the nation. Due to teammates’ injuries, Terrell was often asked to play 37+ minutes per contest. He was an absolute workhorse last season and still didn’t get all of the credit he deserved. With E.C. Matthews and Jarvis Garrett back in the lineup for the start of the season, Terrell shouldn’t have to play every minute of every game this year. Regardless, he’s still going to be an impact player for Hurley’s Rams.
Jared Terrell also led the Rams in steals (1.2 SPG) and ranked 2nd in assists (2.6 APG) and 5th in rebounding (3.4 RPG). He scored more than 10 points 26 times last year and had a career-high 25 points against Fordham in the middle of the season. The sophomore had an all-around solid season for the Rams, and he continues to provide tremendous upside on both ends of the floor. Given the uncertainty on how E.C. Matthews will respond from his torn ACL, we very well could see Terrell emerge as Rhode Island’s best offensive and defensive player this coming season.
What He’ll Do
Expect Terrell to flourish in Rhode Island’s top-of-the-line backcourt next season. The Rams have Jared Terrell, Jarvis Garrett, E.C. Matthews, Stanford Robinson, Christian Thompson, and Jeff Dowtin to integrate into the mix, so things may get a bit crowded at the guard positions. That said, Jared Terrell will likely play exclusively at the 3 though we saw him play a bit of the 2 last year. This means that the junior should get his fair share of court time and his chance to flaunt his game.
If Terrell could improve his jumpshot, he could become even more dangerous. Though he shot just 34.7% from long range last year, he’s certainly shown his ability to knock down the three with consistency. He hit a career-high 4 threes in a game against La Salle during the middle of last year’s conference season. Terrell has the body and the skill to take it to the hoop, and if he could add a more developed touch from long range, he could become a complete player capable of making first team all Atlantic 10.
Jared Terrell will also emerge as a defensive threat night-in and night-out next season. He had 11 games with at least 2 steals last season, and it wouldn’t be unrealistic to expect that number to go up this year. Defense is going to be key for this Rhode Island team; the Rams had the 2nd best effective defensive field goal percentage in the league last season, and with all of the high-powered offenses that are likely to emerge this year, shutting teams down will be the key to winning an Atlantic 10 title. Terrell will help immensely in this regard.
Previously: #22 Denzel Gregg
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