Terry Armstrong (basketball)

Terry Armstrong (born July 16, 2000) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). Listed at 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) and 185 pounds (84 kg), he plays the shooting guard position.

Terry Armstrong
Free agent
PositionShooting guard
Personal information
Born (2000-07-16) July 16, 2000
Flint, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
NBA draft2020 / Undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020South East Melbourne Phoenix

Armstrong, who is a native of Flint, Michigan, played basketball for several high schools, spending his final two year at Bella Vista Prep. A consensus four-star recruit, he drew interest from several major NCAA Division I programs and committed to Arizona before choosing to immediately play professionally in the NBL.

Early life

Armstrong grew up in the West Side of Flint, Michigan. He often played basketball with others in his neighborhood or shot around in his driveway.[1] He is mentored by his guardian Tim Jones, who is also from Flint.[2]

High school career

As a freshman at Carman-Ainsworth High School in Flint, Armstrong began playing basketball under head coach Jay Witham in the 2015–16 season.[3] After averaging 12.6 points per game through his first six games, he was considered one of the best freshmen in Michigan, garnering attention from prep school programs.[4] Armstrong led his team to the regional semifinals and a 20–4 record, averaging 16 points, 5.5 rebounds, and two steals per game. He earned Class A All-State first team honors from the Associated Press and Class A All-State honorable mention recognition from the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.[5][6][7]

Entering his 2016–17 sophomore year, Armstrong transferred to Joseph Wheeler High School, a school in Marietta, Georgia with a nationally recognized basketball program.[8] He joined the team with E. J. Montgomery, one of the top recruits in the 2018 class.[9] However, in late November, before playing a game for Wheeler, Armstrong moved to Davison High School in Davison, Michigan.[10] He made the decision following his mother's relocation to the Davison district.[11] Armstrong was forced to sit out his sophomore season after being ruled ineligible by the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA).[12] While being sidelined, he dropped in national rankings and attracted decreasing attention from college programs.[13] He was also struggling academically, holding a 2.4 grade point average.[1]

As a junior in 2017–18, Armstrong transferred to Bella Vista College Preparatory School in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Bella Vista Prep basketball team, which was newly formed to replace Aspire Academy, played a national schedule and was coached by former Hillcrest Prep coach Kyle Weaver.[13][14] He was named season MVP of The Grind Session during the 2017-18 season. With Bella Vista Prep and on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit, he saw his national ranking rise again.[15] By December 7, 2018, in his senior season, Armstrong was averaging 22.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.[16] He was named the 2019 Grind Session Offensive player of the year. On March 11, 2019, he scored 14 points in a 96–94 win over SPIRE Institute and Academy to win the Grind Session World Championship final.[17]

Recruiting

Armstrong was a consensus four-star recruit.[18][19] By the end of his high school career, ESPN ranked him among the top 40 players in the 2019 class.[20] On October 24, 2018, Armstrong committed to play for NCAA Division I basketball for Arizona, attracted by its coaching staff and environment, as well as his team fit.[21] His other top options were New Mexico and Oklahoma.[22]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Terry Armstrong
SG		 Flint, MI Bella Vista Prep (AZ) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Oct 24, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 67  247Sports: 77  ESPN: 41
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arizona 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  • "2019 Arizona Wildcats Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 7, 2019.

    Professional career

    South East Melbourne Phoenix (2019–2020)

    On June 19, 2019, Armstrong revealed his intentions to skip college basketball and instead play in the NBA G League or in another country.[23] On July 5, he signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the National Basketball League (NBL), a league based in Australia. Armstrong joined the team through the NBL Next Stars program, which was created in the previous year to attract NBA draft prospects to the NBL.[24][25] In September 2019, he won the dunk contest at the NBL Blitz preseason tournament.[26] Armstrong was left out of his team's rotation for much of the season.[27] He made eight appearances for the Phoenix and averaged 2.2 minutes per game.[28] On April 1, 2020, Armstrong declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[29][30][31]

    Career statistics
    Legend
      GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
     FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
     RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
     BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

    NBL
    Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
    2019–20 South East Melbourne 802.2.000.0001.000.3.3.0.0.3

    References
    1. May, Jake (November 23, 2018). "Flint's Terry Armstrong comes home to sign Arizona basketball commitment". MLive. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    2. Spears, Justin (July 5, 2019). "Former Arizona Wildcats commit Terry Armstrong will play overseas in Australia's NBL". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    3. Woodyard, Eric (December 8, 2015). "Five Flint-area boys basketball teams to watch in 2015-16 season". MLive. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    4. Woodyard, Eric (January 8, 2016). "Flint Carman-Ainsworth's Terry Armstrong regarded as one of Michigan's top hoops freshmen". MLive. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    5. Lang, Tom; McCabe, Mick (April 10, 2016). "Class A all-state boys basketball teams". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    6. Woodyard, Eric (March 26, 2016). "Flint Carman-Ainsworth's Terry Armstrong makes AP Class A First Team All-State as freshman". MLive. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    7. Goricki, David (April 7, 2016). "Detroit News boys basketball Dream Team, All-State teams". The Detroit News. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    8. Woodyard, Eric (July 27, 2016). "Top recruit Terry Armstrong leaving Flint Carman-Ainsworth for Wheeler Prep". MLive. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    9. "Wheeler (Ga.) to add two elite-level basketball players". USA Today High School Sports. August 1, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    10. Comparoni, Jim (June 17, 2017). "Going Deep: 7 Takes From The Izzo Shootout". Rivals. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    11. Woodyard, Eric (November 30, 2016). "Top hoops recruit Terry Armstrong returns to Michigan, enrolls at Davison". MLive. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
    12. Austin, Kyle (June 1, 2018). "Flint native Terry Armstrong is Michigan State's latest offer". MLive. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    13. Woodward, Duncan (May 9, 2018). "Terry Armstrong's journey to back to the top". The Left Bench. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    14. Woodyard, Eric (September 21, 2017). "4-star Terry Armstrong leaves Michigan for Arizona's Bella Vista College Prep". MLive. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    15. Austin, Kyle (August 17, 2018). "Strong summer gives Flint's Terry Armstrong recruiting options and a tough decision to make". MLive. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    16. Scott, Dana (December 7, 2018). "Scottsdale's Bella Vista Prep brings international basketball roster to national showcase". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    17. Scott, Dana (March 11, 2019). "Bella Vista Prep beats LaMelo Ball and Spire Academy to win the Grind Session World Championship". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    18. "Terry Armstrong, 2019 Small forward". Rivals. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
    19. "Terry Armstrong, Bella Vista Prep, Shooting Guard". 247Sports. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
    20. "Terry Armstrong". ESPN. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
    21. Evans, Corey (October 24, 2018). "Top-60 wing Terry Armstrong stays local with Arizona". Rivals. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
    22. Pascoe, Bruce (October 24, 2018). "Four-star Phoenix guard Terry Armstrong commits to Arizona Wildcats". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
    23. Caron, Emily (June 19, 2019). "Arizona Commit Terry Armstrong Bypassing College to Play Professionally". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
    24. "NBA prospect to join Phoenix as NBL Next Star". South East Melbourne Phoenix. July 5, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
    25. "NBL to Fast Track Next Stars of the NBA". National Basketball League. July 5, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
    26. Doole, Jacob (October 3, 2019). "From Flint to the Phoenix: Terry Armstrong is rising fast". The Pick and Roll. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    27. Houben, Michael (February 16, 2020). "The curious case of Terry Armstrong, and what his season could mean for future NBL Next Stars". The Pick and Roll. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    28. "Terry Armstrong". NBL. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    29. "Terry Armstrong Enters 2020 NBA Draft". NBL. April 1, 2020. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
    30. "South East Melbourne Phoenix Official Website". www.semphoenix.com.au. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
    31. "2020 Draft Prospect | Terry Armstrong". NBA.com. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
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