In the fall of 1999, Andover Boys Basketball Head Coach Terrell Ivory ’00 entered Andover as a Post-Graduate (PG) in both the football and basketball programs. Under the tutelage of Coach Leon Modeste, Ivory refined his skills and prepared for his Division I college career at Davidson College.
Ivory followed in the footsteps of older brother Titus Ivory ’97, who also played football and basketball at Andover as a PG. Both brothers were leading scorers for Andover Basketball in their single seasons with the team.
At Davidson, Ivory was mentored by his college basketball coach, Bob McKillop, who recently won his 500th career game as a Division I coach. Ivory credits his passion for coaching to McKillop.
Ivory said, “My college coach was a really big influence on me in a sense that he taught me a lot about basketball and helped me understand some of the things that I want to pass on to the kids. Things like what it means to work hard, what it means to compete and what it means to deal with adversity.”
After graduating from college in 2004, Ivory continued his career in England where he played professional basketball for a year. Ivory returned to teach at Blair Academy in New Jersey for another year, leaving for coaching stints at Colgate University and his alma mater, Davidson, where he coached the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry.
It wasn’t until the fall of 2012 when Ivory returned to Andover to combine two of his passions: working with kids and basketball. When the opportunity presented itself, Ivory was eager to return.
“I had a good experience [at Andover] both on and off the court. Because I had such a good experience here as a student and as an athlete it felt like it made sense for me to come back at some point and give back to this community. I felt like because I enjoy working with kids and coaching, this is the perfect place to do that,” he said.
During his tenure at Andover, Ivory has had a very honest and open relationship with his players. He constantly looks for ways to help them succeed and work together. Co-Captain and starting shooting guard Andrew Reavis ’17 credits his success to Ivory’s honesty.
Reavis said, “[Ivory] never sugarcoats things, so if there is something you need to improve on he let’s you know, and I think by him being so honest with me it has allowed me to work on a lot of things that I needed to from freshman year until now.”
The other starters have improved immensely under Ivory’s tutelage, and they too credit their development to his coaching.
Co-Captain Danny Evans ’16 wrote in an email to The Phillipian, “From when I first spoke to [Ivory] on the phone back home in England, I thought we could work really well together and that he would challenge me to be the best player and person I could be. I’d say I’m having one of my best seasons so far, and he has a huge role to play in that. The best thing, though, is his high expectations for us. He truly believes that we can do great things this year and the rest of the team is really buying into that.”
PG forward Hallvard Lundevall ’16 said, “[The] best part about [Ivory] is that he really connects with his players on a personal level, which I have never had with a coach before. He is an awesome person to be around but at the same time demands the respect and attention that coaches have. He’s been doing a great job with the team and will continue to do so.”
Ivory has high expectations for this year’s team, which he hopes to achieve through continued regimented work. With Ivory at the helm of his most talented roster in recent history, Andover looks to contend for a playoff spot.
