There are hundreds of thousands of student athletes that go through the struggle that is juggling education to go along with athletics (whether that be practice or traveling to other parts of the country to play games). When it comes to College Basketball, it has been changing over the past decade with the one and done rule and the high end high school talent hurrying to leave and head to the league.
When it comes to programs, Baylor is one of the few that produces NBA talent through a process and staying in school. And Terry Maston was one of those guys that bought into the process and had a successful career. Players like Taurean Prince (Atlanta Hawks) and Johnathon Motley (Los Angeles Clippers) made a living to coming off the bench and being spark plugs while at Baylor. Terry exemplified that role. I was able to talk to Terry about his time in College and discuss his career so far playing professional ball in a different country:
A:
So every college athlete has their journey from beginning to end and everyone’s journey is different. How was your recruiting process and what about Baylor interested you?
T:
I loved how they were family oriented and coach drew likes players for who they are in and outside of basketball. They were also very positive towards us.
A:
You were a big part of a Baylor team in 2016-2917 that made history with being ranked #1 in the country at one point for the first time in school history. What made tat team so special?
T:
The amount of bonding outside of basketball that we had. We cared for each other and all played our roles and did them well and it lead to a lot of success.
A:
Towards the back end of your senior year, you were on fire scoring wise. 20+ Points against the likes of Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas, and the final game against Mississippi State. What was the secret to your success in those stretch of games?
T:
Just more focus and playing aggressive to try to push te team into the NCAA Tournament. And to set up the best possible situation for me the following year for the team that was being brought in.
A:
You were picked 8th overall in the G-League Draft this past year. You’re currently playing in the CBA for the Saint John Riptide and seem to be doing really well. And your goal is to make it to the NBA. What do you think you have to do in order to make it there?
T:
Play Hard as possible with the talent I have, be professional on and off the court and continue to work as hard as I can.
A:
Thank you so much for your time and good luck to you in the league and I hope you make it.
T:
Thanks man.
In this clip against Mississippi State, Maston shows what his game is exactly about. He plays an old school kind of game with being an above average mid-range shooter and using excellent post moves in order to get around his defender and attack the rim. In this clip, he scored bucket after bucket late to try and keep his team in the game. This was just one of his excellent performances in his Senior campaign.
Terry only started 2 games at Baylor, but made an impact when he came in. His Junior year, he broke out and had some big games, including 22 Points vs. Texas Tech, and back to back 19 point games against New Mexico State and USC in the NCAA Tournament. During his Senior year, he averaged 11 PPG and 5.7 rebounds per contest.
Image Credit: https://www.wacotrib.com/sports/baylor/mens_basketball/maston-s-old-man-game-paying-off-for-bears/article_957560a4-d205-506a-a21f-917fdfc96836.html http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Tommy+Hamilton+IV/Terry+Maston/Baylor+v+Texas+Tech/EuVLYrMKBWY
