Terrell Gaines doesn’t have the look of your typical elite scorer.
“[I am] maybe 5-foot 8 (inches tall)…we will just say 5-foot 8 so it sounds better,” Gaines said.
He is easy to point out on the court and recently surpassed 2,119 points. It set the new Eagles scoring record which had stood for more than 35 years.
“Kevin Irving and it was from 1988, so it’s been a long time since it has been broken,” said Liberty Head Basketball Coach Justin Harrill.
“It means a lot, I had started my freshman year on varsity,” Terrell said. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to get it, but once my junior year ended I knew I had a shot, so I just kept working at it.”
It is no surprise to his coach, who calls Terrell the jack of all trades.
“He can score at all three levels,” Harrill said. “He does a great job of that. The thing that has impressed me the most is his defending this year. He has defended really well. He leads us in steals. He is just doing everything he can for us on the court.”
Terrell looks forward to bringing his talents to Austin Peay, a hub for Southwest Missouri talent. Former Dora and Kickapoo star Isaac Haney plays there and recently offered Gaines some words of encouragement.
“Me and him did a workout together and he told me that he thinks I will shock a bunch of people there,” Terrell said. “I mean obviously me being as small as I am, people don’t think I’ll play a whole lot but he thinks I’ll have a shot to be something great.”
But Terrell says his longtime AAU coach, the late Rob Yanders, saw something great in him all along.
“He saw something in me and he thought I could play at the next level, so he told me to just keep working at it,” Terrell said. “He has taught me you know, how to just be a better player as you know being the smaller guard. I just want to thank him for helping me be like how I am today.”
And so although he may not have the height, it’s that belief in himself that has him towering over those he faces on the court.
