CHICAGO — Once Terrance Ferguson figured out how to stomach meat pies, how to drive on the left side of the road — and how to deal with tougher, older men in Australia’s pro league last season — all was fine.
There was another benefit he found in not attending Arizona, also.
“If you want to be a ballplayer and just focus on basketball, school is definitely going to weigh you down most days,” Ferguson said Friday, when asked whether he’d recommend turning pro out of high school like he did. “I definitely would advise it for that.”
Ferguson committed to Arizona in April 2016 but never signed a binding letter of intent and there were concerns he might not be cleared to play because he had spent two seasons at a Texas school whose courses were not being accepted by the NCAA.
Before his eligibility formally became examined, Ferguson landed a mid-six-figure package last June from Under Armour and the Adelaide 36ers turned his head.
“I was committed to Arizona. I was dead-on,” Ferguson said. “But when the opportunity came like that, I can’t really turn it down. I did have some time and I was thinking about, ‘Should I do this, or should I go to Arizona?’ I took a month to decide but at the end of the day I left and I’m here right now so everything worked out fine.”
Even though he averaged just 4.6 points a game while playing only 15.1 minutes for the 36ers, Ferguson is still projected as the No. 25 overall selection by Draft Express. While playing against more experienced players made it harder last season, Ferguson is confident doing so will help in the long run.
“The game I played in was very physical,” Ferguson said. “You had to bump and grind against older, physical players. If that translates to the NBA, that’s going to be a huge thing for me because I’m so used to it also.”
Ferguson said the outside adjustments helped, too, like learning how to manage money and adjusting to a new culture. The meat pies grew on him, and so did the beaches in South Australia.
“It was hot down there so going to a beach on a sunny day was perfect,” Ferguson said. “You can’t go wrong with that. I liked Adelaide. The people there were amazingly friendly, and they welcomed me as soon as I got there.”
Allen makes move
Former UA guard Kadeem Allen put up a stronger showing in his second NBA Combine game Friday, collecting 11 points, four rebounds, six assists and two turnovers over 25 minutes. He was 3 of 8 from the field.
On Thursday, Allen had five points with three assists and two turnovers.
“I felt a lot better than I did (Thursday),” Allen said. “I came out more confident and more aggressive on offense and defense.”
However, after a monster game Thursday, UA wing Rawle Alkins cooled off statistically in a more limited opportunity. He had four points and one rebound in 14 minutes.
Lifetime underdog
Colorado guard Derrick White wasn’t recruited out of high school, was initially expected to redshirt as a Division II freshman and wasn’t expected to make All-Pac-12 last season after rewriting the Colorado-Colorado Springs record books and transferring to Boulder.
“I wore No. 14 at Colorado Springs because there were 14 teams in the RMAC (the D-II Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) who didn’t recruit me,” White said.
So if White is still projected outside of the NBA Draft’s first round, he’s OK with that.
“I’ve been underrated my whole life,” White said. “I just keep working hard, staying positive. It’s crazy that I’m here right now but I’m just enjoying the whole process.”
White actually wasn’t a lock to make the NBA Combine. He earned the invite, as did Arizona’s Allen, after a strong performance in the Portsmouth Invitational last month. But he’s now projected as the first pick of the second round by Draft Express and it would hardly be a surprise to see him jump into the first round.
“I didn’t know what to expect going to Portsmouth,” White said. “I got lucky. My team was unselfish and we played well together and I had a great experience. Being here at the NBA Combine is a great experience. It’s something I’ve watched since I was a kid so I loved this whole process.”
Bigger box
Among the minor proposed rules changes an NCAA committee announced Thursday was one UA coach Sean Miller might make good use of: The expansion of the coaches’ box from 28 to 38 feet.
Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, chair of the men’s basketball rules committee, said the change is meant to help coaches better talk with their teams while making a reasonable boundary.
“We felt we had a hard time communicating to our players especially in loud arenas, and this also allows the referees to really enforce coaches stepping out of the box,” Dambrot said. “It will also cut down on coaches yelling at referees. If you give them more space, they’ll be held to a higher standard.”
York camp set
Former UA guard Gabe York, who competed in a D-League showcase earlier this week at the Quest Multisport complex, has scheduled a two-day youth camp for May 20-21 at Palo Verde High School.
The camp is open to players age 8-18 and will run from 9-3 on May 20 and 9-2 on May 21. The fee is $50, with some scholarships available, and includes lunch and a T-shirt. Registration is at blaircharitygroup.org.
