062522-tuc-spt-terry-p1

Dalen Terry gets a congratulatory hug from his mom, Fenise Yancy, as they celebrates him being drafted by the Chicago Bulls.

 Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

SCOTTSDALE β€” By the time the Chicago Bulls were on the clock with the 18th pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft, waves of cellphone cameras started to rise high throughout Lo-Lo’s Chicken & Waffles. The crowd packed around Dalen Terry, everyone anticipating the moment ahead.

Nobody left disappointed. In fact, nobody left for hours, really.

The Bulls grabbed Terry via an announcement in New York, while the confetti rained in Scottsdale. Then the blaring music, the smiling, the laughing and the dancing continued well into the night at Lo-Lo’s, much to the bafflement of a few apparently unaware customers who sat toward the back.

β€œBananas,” said Terry’s father, Al, leaning into the bar β€” exhausted, maybe, but full of adrenaline.

His son’s decision to stay in the draft and leave Arizona after his sophomore season had paid off, with Terry slotted for a guaranteed two-year contract worth about $6 million and a chance to grow into a potentially long NBA career.

Al Terry had routinely defended his son on Twitter to those who suggested he wasn’t worthy of a pick in the first-round, where players receive multi-million two-year contracts, and said before Thursday’s party that he expected Dalen would go particularly high.

It was the sort of thing any proud basketball dad might say. Except Al Terry was right.

β€œI’m his dad, but I’m also his worst critic,” he said. β€œBut at the end of the day I know he’s going to put in the work to be an NBA All-Star.”

That’s the sort of ceiling Terry might have, after playing a do-everything role as a 19-year-old sophomore for the Wildcats last season.

And, like father, like son: Dalen said he never worried about his draft position, either.

β€œI just bet on myself,” he said. β€œI just knew … I’m gonna go first round.”

Having risen through the predraft process while initially keeping the option open to return to Arizona, Terry was so confident that he announced on May 31 that he was staying.

Initially, that made life tougher for UA coach Tommy Lloyd, who had to fill another key roster spot, but Lloyd left Lo-Lo’s with the same smile everyone else had after he and a core of his players attended the party.

β€œI heard a lot of crazy stuff,” Lloyd said, when asked if he was surprised with the high selection. β€œbut I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

As it turned out, it was a banner night for Lloyd and the Wildcats. Arizona has never had three players taken within the first 33 picks of the draft, as they did Thursday when Bennedict Mathurin went sixth to Indiana, Terry went 18th to Chicago and Christian Koloko went 33rd to Toronto.

For the players in attendance at Lo-Lo’s, including point guard Kerr Kriisa, the Tubelis brothers and several walk-ons, it was a triple celebration.

β€œIt’s the first time we’ve been here to this” sort of thing, Azuolas Tubelis said. β€œI’m so happy for them.”

Dalen Terry poses for the cameraphone at his NBA Draft watch party in Scottsdale.

Tubelis said he was happy for Mathurin because he was a hard worker who liked to share the ball and also share his emotions, bonding with UA teammates during the COVID-19-restricted season of 2020-21 and during their 33-4 run last season.

The fact that Terry joined Mathurin just 12 picks later in the draft also came as no surprise, Tubelis said.

β€œNot surprised at all,” Tubelis said. β€œI know that he is a hard worker, and I know that he would go Top 20 for sure. So I’m happy for him. I’m happy that I was his teammate.”

When the crowd began to clear out slightly about 90 minutes after he was picked, and Terry had found a Bulls hat to wear, he returned the feelings.

β€œBenn at six? I knew it, man,” Terry said. β€œI worked out for the Pacers and they asked me a lot about him. It was just cool for Benn to go six. I’m just so happy for him. All the battles he went through all our freshman year and then be the No. 2 team in the nation.

β€œAnd then Christian, man. He works so hard. Toronto is the perfect program for him, being a defensive big guy. It’s great for everybody.”

Terry went on to say he also wanted to see departed senior Justin Kier get a shot somewhere, continuing to celebrate his teammates, while the crowd at Lo-Lo’s continued to celebrate him.

By then, Terry also appeared a little drained after spending much of the evening dancing and making the rounds at Lo-Lo’s, while also standing up for nonstop photos on his red-carpeted β€œDT” backdrop off to the side of the bar.

It was a coming-out party for a Phoenix kid who turned two years at Arizona into his dream, with friends and family on hand to watch it happen.

β€œI knew it would be like this,” Terry said. β€œI love this city. Everybody loves me here and I knew everybody was going to try their hardest to be here. It was great to be here.”

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact sports reporter Bruce Pascoe at 573-4146 or bpascoe@tucson.com. On Twitter @brucepascoe