Art Garcia | Mavs.com

Posted: June 10, 2008

The opportunity is sitting out there for him to grab. Reyshawn Terry knows this summer and fall are crucial to sustaining his NBA dream.

"If anything, I just want to be consistent,” Terry said recently from the Mavericks locker room lounge. “That’s my main focus. Whatever I do from Day 1, I want to do that until the end. Whether that’s to lock a man down for 48 minutes or hit a big shot, whatever I do, I want to be consistent.

“That’s very important to me. I’ve been fighting that my whole career. I definitely feel this is a turning point for me in my career. Starting with summer league, this will determine what happens this year for me. Whatever I do, I just want to be consistent.”

The strapping 6-foot-8 small forward is looking to officially enter his rookie season, even though he’s got a year as a pro under his belt. A season spent overseas in one of Europe’s premier leagues served the 2007 second-round pick well.

The North Carolina product signed with Aris BC in Greek A1 League. The traditional power is based in Thessaloniki, the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of Macedonia.

“It was difficult for me going to another part of the world that I’ve never been to by myself,” Terry said. “It was a maturing time for me, but most of all, the whole time over there was a great experience. It opened my eyes to another aspect of basketball. It was my first year as a professional. I learned a lot of things from the mental aspect of it.”

Terry, 24, kept the focus on basketball. Though in a new culture, he didn’t venture out much. Traveling was confined to team road trips. Nights out were usually spent with his American teammates and consisted of movies, bowling and, when they needed more of a rush, go-cart races.

One teammate had satellite TV, so his place was the landing spot to catch NBA games. YouTube was a staple on Terry’s laptop. Greek cuisine was largely avoided – Terry wore out the American restaurants in town – but one local favorite became a comfort food. Terry couldn’t get enough of bougatsa, a phyllo pastry with a cream custard filling.

But his Euro friendships weren’t strictly American. A 2007 summer league teammate also drafted in the second round and playing in Greece kept close tabs. Lithuanian-born Renaldas Seibutis, another swingman the Mavs have high hopes for this offseason, made it a point to check in on Terry.

“Renaldas was probably like my mentor when I was over there,” Terry said. “He spoke with me all the time. He pretty much kept me informed with what my status was and giving me feedback from Avery [Johnson] and telling me what to work on. He would come and visit me on occasion. He did a great job of making me feel like they cared when I was over there.”

Much as in his college career with UNC, Terry didn’t start at first for Aris. But as the year went on, he worked his way onto the first team and became a major contributor. He ended up playing more than 60 games, including the highly-competitive Euroleague tournament.

Terry echoed the sentiments of many American players who have ventured to Europe: They play some serious ball across the pond.

“The competition level is right there,” he said. “There are a lot of guys that were in the NBA over there now. The difference from the NBA to overseas are the rules and it’s a different style of play. Everybody over there can shoot. It makes it that much more difficult to guard guys.

“They don’t have a 3-second rule, so the defense is definitely easier to play. Just sit in the lane all day and play zone. That would cause you to change your game.”

The change has its pros and cons, he said. Not only do the rules help the defense, but referees also tend to swallow their whistles. Touch fouls and flops don’t go over too well on Greek hardwood.

“Some of the calls that you get away with here, you’re definitely not going to get away with overseas,” Terry said. “From a physicality part, I think I’ll have an advantage. You’re going to get bruised. You’re going to earn every point that you get.”

Earning isn’t a concept Terry backs down from. A year ago, he was given a frank and honest assessment regarding his chances to make the team. There wasn’t much of one. Josh Howard, Jerry Stackhouse, Devean George, Eddie Jones, Trenton Hassell and even Mo Ager stood in his way.

The NBA, at least in Dallas, would have to wait.

“With the roster being full, I could still come and try to earn a spot, but they didn’t want me to do that because they figured it would basically be a waste of time,” Terry said matter-of-factly. “They said they wanted me to play right away and they felt that if I came last year, I wouldn’t have been able to play due to the fact the guys in front of me.

“They felt me going overseas and getting better and just playing a lot and getting familiar with the professional level would definitely enhance my chances back here. I was up for the challenge. We did it and now I’m here looking forward to this year.”

Since returning to the States, Terry has packed on an extra 15 pounds of muscle and checks in at a robust 240. He’s been working at American Airlines Center for the past several weeks. Summer league practices begin next month, with the Mavs scheduled to begin play in Las Vegas on July 11. Should the summer go as expected, a training camp invite is there for the taking. Some of his recent workouts included a pair of new mentors with ties back home.

Terry has formed a quick bond with Howard and Stackhouse. Howard and Terry share the same hometown and high school in Winston-Salem. Terry heard all the Howard stories and lived through all the comparisons. Stackhouse is a fellow Tar Heel.

“I probably have the best veteran guys that you can ask for,” Terry said. “I couldn’t ask for a better situation right now.”

That includes his early dealings with new coach Rick Carlisle.

“I’m extremely ecstatic with how he takes the time to work individually with me,” Terry said. “Coming here I didn’t expect him to be hands on with me like he has. Last year I really didn’t speak with Avery that much. He told me what he wanted me to work on, but as far as just working with me and getting my mechanics right, Coach Carlisle has done that.

“I’m just happy that he cares for me like he does up until this point because I’ve heard stories about him, but there’s nothing like having your own experiences. I’m looking forward to playing for him. Whatever coach asks me to do, I’m doing it to the best of my abilities.”