In his 11th year as Head Coach of Andover Boys Basketball, Terrell Ivory ’00 (TI) looks to lead with zeal and attention to detail.
According to Ivory, since the team’s eyes are set on making the playoffs at the end of the season, he understands that the team must take smaller, more tangible steps towards its goal. Ivory stated that he prioritizes enjoying the process, not just the end result.
“That’s the motivation…trying to help them understand that we do this because we love playing. We want to have fun. You can lose and have fun, but winning is so much more fun than losing. So the goal is to put ourselves in a position to win by doing all the little things that help us reach our goals,” said Ivory.
Robbie Nyamwaya ’24 believes Ivory is reflective of his efforts to focus on the “little things.” Nyamwaya also appreciates Ivory’s consistent enthusiasm, which often spreads to his players.
“He really focuses on little details, small details that maybe some other coaches would let pass. So I think that makes him really helpful when you can play in the games. I also think he just brings his own energy with the team when the team doesn’t really feel like practicing, or when we all don’t have a lot of energy. He always brings the energy,” said Nyamwaya.
Although focused on the court, Ivory’s personable qualities and approachability greatly strengthens the trust he establishes with each of his players, according to Christopher Rey ’23. Rey noted that Ivory uses sarcasm and humor to boost the mood of his players.
“He is just very enthusiastic about everything. Also, he’s not your typical basketball coach in terms of his serious manner. He’s more fun. You can be looser around him and more casual, which is fun because you don’t always feel like you have to be professional and stuff. But he also is really good at matching that with seriousness on the court during practices and games and making sure that we are doing our best when we practice,” said Rey.
Ivory expressed that he emphasizes teamwork in his coaching. He believes that selfless teams find the most success in the long run.
“[We value] the idea of working together to achieve whatever goal we may have. In order to do that, you have to be selfless and help out your teammate. I would say that’s the thing that I focus on the most. Being selfless and sacrificing for the greater good,” said Ivory.
Ivory brings experience from his 67 Division I collegiate basketball appearances and a professional career in England. Rey appreciates Ivory’s ability to maintain intensity while also nurturing a team environment conducive to learning.
“A lot of coaches are really good at teaching or really good at being intense and not necessarily teaching. I think, usually, coaches are either good at one or the other. I think TI is good at both. He’s a really good teacher in general, whether it be basketball or not. He’s really good at getting his point across, but he also has this ability to turn on this intensity. He wants to win,” said Rey.
