by Alex Schwartz

Terrence Boyd '09 may well be considered the "third wheel" on the dominant Athletes First Elite (OK) U-17 AAU squad, but the 6'5 swingman is talented enough to be the leading man on all but a few other teams in the nation. Playing with Xavier Henry '09 and Daniel Orton '09, two of the premiere players in America makes it tough for Boyd to get the spotlight on the squad, but the physical specimen is ultra-talented. At the AAU Super Showcase in Orlando, Florida, Boyd was key to the team's success and easily out-performed the squad other star, Kyle Hardrick '09. I had the opportunity to catch up with Boyd after his team crushed Georgia Elite 95-43 in pool play, with Terrence scoring 12 points, second on the team behind Henry, who dropped 30.

NB: What colleges are you currently thinking about?
TB: USC, University of Kentucky, Kansas, Memphis, OU [Oklahoma], [and] OSU [Oklahoma St.]

NB: What would you say are your favorites right now?
TB: I’d have to say UK [Kentucky] because I [have] been up there, and I really like USC because they got their two-guards into the League, so they’re really my favorites right now.

NB: Have all those schools actually offered you a scholarship?
TB: Yes, except for Kansas.

NB: Are there other schools that have offered that you’ve eliminated from your list?
TB: I could say UConn, West Virginia, [and] Syracuse . . . pretty much.

NB: When do you plan on cutting the list down even further?
TB: I’ll say at the end of my senior season.

NB: When do you want to start taking your official [visits]?
TB: Probably right after this, right after all these tournaments. . . . Yeah, definitely.

NB:  How many more tournaments do you guys have after this?
TB: Right after this we’re [going] on a plan to go to [Las] Vegas to go the end of the Summer Showcase, . . . but it’s more like a have-fun tournament, so we [are] just going to blow everybody out.

NB: What do you consider to be the strongest point of your game?
TB: Getting to the rack and dishing, [and] playing 94 feet [of] defense, definitely.

NB: What’s the weakest point of your game?
TB: Finishing, finishing on the three-point line I think. . . . My defenders back on me, start to realize that I don’t take a lot of shots in a . . . game in a half-court offense, I’m more like a fast-break player, so yeah, definitely that.

NB: You mentioned that you’re a fast-break player. . . . Is the style of play at a college going to factor into your decision?
TB: Yeah, at USC they play [a] really, really fast tempo, Memphis [too]. Kansas is more like a set offense, so I don’t know. We’ll see though, we’ll definitely see in the future.

NB: What are some of the other factors you’re going to think about in making your choice?
TB: Just the campus, the campus life definitely, how you’re treated at campus, [and] studies because you never know, you might need your education in the long run.

NB: How long do you plan on going to college for?
TB: I’m going to try to stay there as long as I can.

NB: What do you think you add most to this [AAU] team?
TB: Intensity [and] hype, [and] . . . I get all my teammates involved, and being a leader.

Boyd is a great player with superb athleticism and a chiseled frame. The rising senior is clearly high on both the Kentucky Wildcats and the USC Trojans. In-state schools Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. do have a shot to land him, as do Kansas and Memphis, but it does appear that either Billy Gillespie or Tim Floyd will wind up coaching Boyd in college. Whichever one does get him will a fine talent on his hands. Terrence Boyd may not be the star of Athletes First, but in a few years, he could be one of the first athletes to come to your mind when discuss the nation's top college ballers in his class.

Note- photo is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.