Harry Terrell doesn’t hide it. When it comes to competing on the basketball court, he can’t help himself. In the spring of 2009 Terrell retired as Charlottesville’s girls basketball coach. This past winter, Terrell became a spectator, regularly attenting Black Knights games and offering tips here and there.
“It was hard being up there in that atmosphere of competitiveness,” Terrell said. “I’d watch something happen and say to myself, “Hmm, okay. I know what I’d do if I was in this situation.’”
That’s not going to be a problem during the 2010-2011 high school hoops campaign. After a one year hiatus, Terrell is back, but this time he’ll be pacing up and down the side of the court for Albemarle.
“It’s going to be a big challenge,” Terrell said. “It’s a rebuilding year for sure, but it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s a challenge and that’s what I like. It’s a great opportunity.”
When he left Charlottesville, Terrell knew that he was going to be back coaching basketball in some shape or form in the near future. He comtemplated making the jump to the collegiate level, but when long time Albemarle coach Anita Jenkins retired and Terrell was offered the chance, he pounced on it.
“I hadn’t planned on staying out (of basketball) very long,” Terrell said. “I thought about the next level but I thought that I’m not ready for that. This job became available, it’s not far from where I live, so here we are.”
During his tenure at CHS, Terrell won a Group AA title in 2001 and his teams were a perennial force. The Black Knights never lost a Jefferson District tournament game with Terrell as coach. He has amassed 346 victories, putting him ninth among active coaches in the state according to the Virginia High School Coaches Association.
Terrell noted that getting Albemarle, which is a Group AAA school in the Commonwealth District, to a similar level of play is a daunting task.
“There’s a few things you have to do,” Terrell said. “You need preseason workouts, especially with a young team. You can’t wait until November, nobody does that anymore. That’s a thing of the past and it’s too long of a transition.”
The Patriots graduated several critical parts of their lineup including Kya Francisco, Cynthia Jackson and Abby Hendrix. However, Terrell doesn’t necessarily see that as a bad thing as it will allow him to start from scratch.
“The program has a few good younger players,” Terrell said. “And when you get 60-some kids to come out to play, you’re going to get pretty good young talent.”
As for the prospect of coaching against his former team, Terrell isn’t worried about it.
“Once that ball is tossed I get so entranced with the game that it all becomes about competition,” Terrell said. “That’s one of the things I love about this game. I think that’s what makes it the greatest game ever invented.”
