TI has been head coach of Andover Boys Basketball for (YEARS)
In his 12th year of coaching at Andover, Boys Basketball Head Coach Terrell Ivory ’00 (TI) considers himself to be a caring and intense coach. After completing a postgraduate year at Andover, TI played Division I basketball at Davidson College. He was then an assistant coach at Blair Academy for three years before coaching at Davidson College and Colgate University.
When TI stopped playing basketball, he still hoped to be involved with the sport and pursued coaching as a pathway to helping kids and giving back to basketball.
“I love playing basketball and I wanted to continue playing as long as I possibly could, but I knew, once I stopped playing, I still wanted to be involved. Just for me, helping kids out the way that some of my coaches and mentors helped me out. It felt like a job that I would find fulfilling. And for me, it’s just trying to help kids in as many ways as possible,” said TI.
Having had TI as a coach for three years now, Olilanya Ogueri ’25 highlighted TI’s emphasis on being focused but also his playful demeanor that creates a healthy team environment.
Ogueri said, “I’m one of the few guys… that’s been on the team since [Junior Year], so I’ve got to hear him a lot. One thing he’s taught me is definitely being able to buy into a team and being able to know your role… He also prioritizes having fun. He always cracks a lot of jokes and puts us first.”
TI’s college coach introduced the “we over me” mentality to TI, who now upholds the value through his own coaching. TI looks for athletes who are selfless and act in the best interest of the team.
“My college coach taught me something important. I want kids who are selfless. And, he always said, ‘If you help somebody, you help yourself.’ So, I think being a good teammate, being able to make sacrifices, and this idea of ‘we over me’ is really important,” said TI.
In a recent game, TI recalled Xavier Abreu’s ’25 outstanding performance, in which he demonstrated the “we over me” mentality.
TI said, “One of our kids, Xavier Abreu, was having an unbelievable game. He was just making so many shots, and he was on fire… And, they were working hard to make sure that he was successful, which meant the team was successful. There was this one particular time at the end of the first half where he had the ball, and it was a two-on-one. He could have taken the shot, but he passed it to an open teammate in the corner… [At] that moment, everybody was trying to get him the ball, and he was on fire… and he made the decision to pass it to an open teammate and let them take the last shot for the half.”
Abreu also mentioned selflessness as being prevalent on the Boys Basketball team. Abreu noted TI’s dedication and sacrifice for the team, and how this propels Andover to constantly play its hardest, focus, and be attentive.
“TI really stresses a selfless culture within our team. He stresses doing little things that help your teammate which eventually could help yourself later, down the line, and then help the team in general… And he’s a guy that’ll go to war for us in the games, and you can always feel how much he cares for us. That really helps us stay focused, pay attention to the little things, and do whatever it takes for us to win,” said Abreu.
TI’s favorite part about being a coach is getting the privilege of watching his players grow and evolve.
TI said, “I would say my favorite part is seeing kids grow in a lot of different ways from when they come here to especially when they leave and graduate and then I get to see them when they come back. I always help them understand that they’re always going to be a part of the program, and then you see them go out to the world and do amazing things and become people who go out to the world and make the world a better place.”
