Men's Basketball
Ivory, Terrell
Terrell Ivory
- Title:
- Director of Operations
- Email:
- teivory@davidson.edu
- Phone:
- 2964
Davidson '04
Third Season
Terrell Ivory experienced a little bit of everything during his four-year playing career at Davidson. Overall it was a great time, although he’s much fonder of some memories than others.
His 2002 team won the Southern Conference championship and was sent to Albuquerque, N.M., to play to play fourth-seeded Ohio State in the NCAA tournament. Although a heavy underdog, the Wildcats outplayed Ohio State for 39 minutes before losing the game, 69-64.
The next season didn’t end quite so well for Ivory and his teammates, but he learned that in college basketball, anything is possible. The Wildcats went 11-5 in the Southern Conference in 2003, and on March 1, in Belk Arena, closed out the regular season with an 84-49 shellacking of VMI. Five days later the two teams met again in Charleston in the SoCon tournament, and the Keydets won, 66-60.
Therein rests the beauty of college basketball: exciting, unpredictable, never count an underdog out. Those elements and a deep love for the game have led Ivory into a career of coaching, with this being his third year on Davidson’s staff as director of basketball operations.
“I am thrilled to be back,” Ivory says. “The coaches here knew that if a job opening occurred on staff and I had a chance to get it, I would probably take it.”
The opening came after the 2007-08 season when Jeremy Henney returned to his native state of Indiana as head coach of a high school basketball program.
Ivory, known to former teammates and friends as “T.I.,” didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do when he graduated from Davidson in the spring of 2004. He was sure, however, that basketball was still in his blood. He wasn’t ready to give it up. He went to Manchester, England, to play basketball for a year.
“There’s nothing better than getting paid to play basketball,” Ivory says of the experience.
Professional basketball teams in Europe don’t usually play but one game a week, so T.I. had plenty of time on his hands. He took the opportunity to spend two days a week coaching basketball to high school students. He enjoyed the coaching experience so much that after one year in England, he returned to the United States to accept a job at Blair Academy, a New Jersey prep school. He interned there his first year, and the following two years, he was an assistant basketball coach and Algebra II teacher, who lived in a campus dormitory.
Joe Mantegna was head coach at Blair, and Ivory learned a good bit about running a program while working as his assistant coach.
“He runs his program like a college program,” Ivory says. “I met a lot of college coaches who came to our campus looking at some of our players. Coach Mantegna worked hard to help his players get into good academic schools that played either Division I or Division III basketball.”
Ivory must have learned his lessons well because at the end of the 2007-08 season, he was offered the head basketball coaching job at a prep school in New England. He declined in anticipation that a job opening might occur on the Davidson staff for which he could apply.
When Henney left for Indiana, Ivory found himself on his way back to Davidson. Welcome home. He grew up in Huntersville, played high school ball at North Mecklenburg High School, spent four years playing with the Wildcats where he was popular with his teammates, coaches and the fans that follow Davidson basketball.
“It’s an unbelievably great feeling to be back at Davidson and working with the coaches and players in this program,” Ivory said. “I knew the job would entail a lot of work, but I was still surprised by just how much work. But I’m not complaining, because this is a wonderful opportunity for me.”
Ivory said that even though he and his Davidson teammates worked hard, he was nonetheless taken aback by just how hard the current players work and how dedicated and committed they are.
“I don’t think many people understand how good the kids in this program are or how hard they work,” he said. “These players are always in the gym and are completely committed to getting better. They certainly deserved all the good things that come their way.”
Is Ivory happy that he made the career decision to become a coach?
“Absolutely, I am,” he replied. “I want to be a head coach in college eventually, and there’s no place better to learn than right here.”
Third Season
Terrell Ivory experienced a little bit of everything during his four-year playing career at Davidson. Overall it was a great time, although he’s much fonder of some memories than others.
His 2002 team won the Southern Conference championship and was sent to Albuquerque, N.M., to play to play fourth-seeded Ohio State in the NCAA tournament. Although a heavy underdog, the Wildcats outplayed Ohio State for 39 minutes before losing the game, 69-64.
The next season didn’t end quite so well for Ivory and his teammates, but he learned that in college basketball, anything is possible. The Wildcats went 11-5 in the Southern Conference in 2003, and on March 1, in Belk Arena, closed out the regular season with an 84-49 shellacking of VMI. Five days later the two teams met again in Charleston in the SoCon tournament, and the Keydets won, 66-60.
Therein rests the beauty of college basketball: exciting, unpredictable, never count an underdog out. Those elements and a deep love for the game have led Ivory into a career of coaching, with this being his third year on Davidson’s staff as director of basketball operations.
“I am thrilled to be back,” Ivory says. “The coaches here knew that if a job opening occurred on staff and I had a chance to get it, I would probably take it.”
The opening came after the 2007-08 season when Jeremy Henney returned to his native state of Indiana as head coach of a high school basketball program.
Ivory, known to former teammates and friends as “T.I.,” didn’t know exactly what he wanted to do when he graduated from Davidson in the spring of 2004. He was sure, however, that basketball was still in his blood. He wasn’t ready to give it up. He went to Manchester, England, to play basketball for a year.
“There’s nothing better than getting paid to play basketball,” Ivory says of the experience.
Professional basketball teams in Europe don’t usually play but one game a week, so T.I. had plenty of time on his hands. He took the opportunity to spend two days a week coaching basketball to high school students. He enjoyed the coaching experience so much that after one year in England, he returned to the United States to accept a job at Blair Academy, a New Jersey prep school. He interned there his first year, and the following two years, he was an assistant basketball coach and Algebra II teacher, who lived in a campus dormitory.
Joe Mantegna was head coach at Blair, and Ivory learned a good bit about running a program while working as his assistant coach.
“He runs his program like a college program,” Ivory says. “I met a lot of college coaches who came to our campus looking at some of our players. Coach Mantegna worked hard to help his players get into good academic schools that played either Division I or Division III basketball.”
Ivory must have learned his lessons well because at the end of the 2007-08 season, he was offered the head basketball coaching job at a prep school in New England. He declined in anticipation that a job opening might occur on the Davidson staff for which he could apply.
When Henney left for Indiana, Ivory found himself on his way back to Davidson. Welcome home. He grew up in Huntersville, played high school ball at North Mecklenburg High School, spent four years playing with the Wildcats where he was popular with his teammates, coaches and the fans that follow Davidson basketball.
“It’s an unbelievably great feeling to be back at Davidson and working with the coaches and players in this program,” Ivory said. “I knew the job would entail a lot of work, but I was still surprised by just how much work. But I’m not complaining, because this is a wonderful opportunity for me.”
Ivory said that even though he and his Davidson teammates worked hard, he was nonetheless taken aback by just how hard the current players work and how dedicated and committed they are.
“I don’t think many people understand how good the kids in this program are or how hard they work,” he said. “These players are always in the gym and are completely committed to getting better. They certainly deserved all the good things that come their way.”
Is Ivory happy that he made the career decision to become a coach?
“Absolutely, I am,” he replied. “I want to be a head coach in college eventually, and there’s no place better to learn than right here.”
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