Prospect Spotlight: Terrance Butler Jr. (2020)
This season in Baltimore County, we’ll see a fair share of players sporting different uniforms. One of which will be junior guard/wing Terrance Butler Jr. The 6-foot-5 bruiser played for Chesapeake High School in Baltimore County last year, but will be the primary option for the Overlea Falcons in 2018-19.
We caught up with Butler Jr. following the Hoop Group Exposure Tour, where he was a standout.
PH: You were with Team Melo this summer. Tell me how your experience was throughout the spring and summer with the 16U team.
TBJ: I feel like everything went fine. I wish I would’ve played a little more, but our team was stacked. We had guys like Ryan Conway, Che Evans, Teon Rushing and Tyler Brelsford, so I wish I would’ve had more playing time but it’s cool.
PH: Let’s take the positives of the situation and not focus on the lack of playing time. Did going up against those guys in practice every night help improve your game?
TBJ: Oh it definitely helped my game a lot. It forced me to go against D1 talent and I think it helped me in every area.
PH: What were some specific aspects of your game that you wanted to improve on coming into AAU?
TBJ: My ball handling and my shot
PH: Tell me about your high school season last year for Chesapeake.
TBJ: I thought I had a pretty solid sophomore season. We made it to the regional finals, so we did decent as a team, but I’m looking to help lead Overlea to states. I averaged 11 points and six rebounds per game.
PH: You transfer to Overlea and will play for a highly respected coach in Coach Holley. What has he told you in terms of expectations or what your role will be?
TBJ: He expects me to be a team leader and be the guy who leads this team to wins.
PH: One thing that stood out immediately about you today is your willingness to communicate with teammates on both ends. Is that something you’ve always done or is it the result of a concentrated effort based off Coach Holley’s expectations?
TBJ: I think it’s because of Coach Holley. He gets on me all the time about being vocal to my teammates, so he’s really bringing out the leader in me.
PH: What are your personal expectations for this season?
TBJ: Basically to go out an dominate and make a statement. Overlea hasn’t had a championship since like 1980 something, so I expect this team to be the one to change that.
PH: What are some personal goals you have for yourself with basketball?
TBJ: To be honest, I want to be a professional basketball player. Obviously, I’m shooting for the NBA, so I just have to keep working hard every day.
PH: Who is an NBA player that you model your game after?
TBJ: Jason Tatum. He can really do anything on the floor, so that’s who I am to be like.
PH: What will you bring to a college program?
TBJ: I’m scrappy and not afraid to get on the floor. I can sit in front of anyone on defense and I pride myself on that end of the floor.