Terrance Ferguson never quite made it to the Old Pueblo.
Instead, he’ll be spending the upcoming season Down Under.
The Arizona Wildcats’ highly touted recruit announced Thursday that he will forgo his college career and instead play professionally overseas for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League in Australia. CEO Guy Hedderwick confirmed to the Star on Thursday that Ferguson had signed. The terms of Ferguson’s contract weren’t disclosed, but he’s believed to be signing a one-year deal.
Ferugson’s announcement — confirmed via an article Ferguson wrote for The Players Tribune and a press release from Wildcats coach Sean Miller — comes following weeks of speculation about whether the five-star recruit would actually enroll at the UA. He announced his verbal commitment to Arizona in mid-April, but never signed a binding letter of intent. Ferguson, a former Alabama commit, stayed in touch with UA coaches, including assistant Book Richardson. He was supposed to arrive at the UA last week for summer school, but did not show.
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“This fall, I was supposed to be playing for the University of Arizona,” Ferguson wrote Thursday. “But when life gives you an opportunity like this, you can’t pass it up.”
Earlier this month, Jerry Meyer of 247sports.com reported that Ferguson was expected to sign a contract with an Australian professional team and an endorsement deal with Under Armour.
“He’s going to make a whole lot of money,” Meyer said. “Terrance is a very good player so for him to have this opportunity to play overseas and for him to be able to do that means he’s a very big talent, a very good player.”
In the Players Tribune article, Ferguson mentioned that the 36ers approached him during the Nike Hoops Summit in Portland, which took place April 9.
“They really liked how I played, and started talking about how they could develop me even further,” Ferguson wrote. “That’s what really got my attention.”
Ferguson didn’t announce his commitment to Arizona until a week later, and then never signed the letter of intent.
In Thursday’s press release, Miller said “I hope this next chapter of his basketball career goes well, and his goal of one day becoming an NBA player is realized.”
Ferguson wrote that he turned pro to support his family and so he could focus on basketball rather than deal with the practice time restraints and classwork that come with college.
There may be more to it than that. Sports Illustrated mentioned Ferguson’s situation in a story that ran in last week’s issue. In it, SI said the NCAA would not accept courses from Ferguson’s high school, Advanced Preparatory Institute of Dallas. API was appealing the April 21 ruling, according to SI. API is an offshoot of Prime Prep Academy, the Deion Sanders-affiliated school that produced Denver Nuggets guard Emmanuel Mudiay. Mudiay was a former UA target who, like Ferguson, went overseas — to China — and signed with Under Armour amid concerns over his academic transcripts.
The one-year deal Mudiay signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers was worth more than $1 million. It’s unknown what Ferguson is expected to take home between the 36ers contract and the Under Armour endorsement deal.
Though they have similar career paths, Mudiay and Ferguson are vastly different players.
Ferguson is listed as a 6-foot-7 wing with an ability to shoot 3-pointers and play defense well, fitting the “3-and-D” model most NBA teams are looking for. Still, some experts say Ferguson has more holes in his game than Mudiay did out of high school.
Mudiay was rated the No. 2 overall recruit by Scout.com in 2014, whereas Ferguson was rated the 16th-best recruit this season.
“I don’t think Ferguson is close to the same level of prospect that Mudiay was,” said DraftExpress analyst Mike Schmitz. “If Mudiay had gone to college, he would have likely been a Top 5 guy, maybe even higher.
“To me there are still questions to be answered about his ability to play with the ball, translating his athleticism to the half court and making shots with consistency.”
The Denver Nuggets picked Mudiay seventh overall in the the 2015 draft, while DraftExpress doesn’t have Ferguson projected in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Would that be different if Ferguson went to Arizona for a year — or two — rather than play in Australia?
“From a basketball standpoint, I think going overseas is always a risky play because you never know how you’re going to fit into the team’s system and how much you’ll actually see the floor,” Schmitz said. “Whereas in college, you likely have a more consistent role and are able to showcase your abilities in front of NBA scouts every single day.”
Arizona certainly could have used the floor spacing Ferguson brings with his shooting prowess. Arizona had the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation with Ferguson, according to ESPN.
“They lose him, it hurts to lose a player like Terrance, but they have plenty of other options,” Meyer said. “It’s not as if they’re going to be left bare. I think they’re prepared and ready for this situation. Arizona will be OK.”
The Wildcats, after all, are still bringing in three five-star recruits: Finnish big Lauri Markkanen, New York wing Rawle Alkins and Las Vegas guard Kobi Simmons. Transfers Keanu Pinder and Talbott Denny round out the class.
With Ferguson gone, the UA will likely rely more on redshirt freshman Ray Smith, who missed last season with an ACL injury.
Thursday, Alkins tweeted a picture with the caption “Bear Down” where he stood alongside Simmons, Smith, guard Allonzo Trier and senior guard Kadeem Allen.
Trier, an All-Freshman selection who passed on the NBA to return for his sophomore campaign, tweeted that the UA will “be alright”.
The Wildcats don’t seem to be worried, nor does Ferguson.
“I was incredibly grateful to Coach Miller and Coach Richardson,” Ferguson wrote, “but my choice was obvious.”
