Alana Terry becomes highest-level Morrow recruit; commits to Lewis University

Metamora senior Alana Terry announced on Wednesday via Twitter that she'd commited to Lewis University to continue her basketball career. The commitment makes her the highest-level recruit (NCAA D2) under Head Coach Brianna Morrow, all schools.
 FILE PHOTO / MIKE ROEDELL

Metamora, Ill. - Alana Terry is just like many high school senior student-athletes across the state of Illinois. Left waiting to see if they will even have a season. However, she was able to check one thing off despite the pandemic, announcing via Twitter on Wednesday that she is committed to continuing her basketball career at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. 

Lewis was the first school to reach out to the 5'11" starting post. The Flyers and Coach Samantha Quigley-Smith were a favorite early in the recruiting process. 

"Ever since sophomore year and we were first at the camp and I was introduced to the campus, they've always been on the top of my radar," Terry said.

Now, the recruiting process has been somewhat hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Terry made a visit where she said she was able to do something that she recommends for all those wanting to play at the college level. 

"I went to see a practice. In that way, I was able to see how the coach held people accountable and how the girls all interacted. That was a cool team environment," Terry explained.

Recruiting has been a unique process for all those involved, especially if it has only started since the pandemic. It's something that Terry says was weird at times, including an essentially empty campus on her visit and the need to wear a mask everywhere on campus, adding that "the feel wasn't exactly there". 

Basketball, to a degree, has started to go away from the concept of a true "five" position, a true "center". That's something that Terry is glad to see. 

"Personally, I think it's great. I feel like there's a stigma around being a post player. People sometimes think the guards are the ones with the higher IQ and they're the ones that are always the leaders, and they're th eones that control the game more so than the posts," Terry stated, adding that some people tend to think "the posts are just the big, dumb ones that just post up on the block and don't do much else". 

She does think, however, that the way the game is transitioning away from that stigma, that it "definitely creates more of an equal playing field for each person". 

Terry also credits the work she was able to get in at The Human Performance Lab in Germantown Hills, a strength and conditioning facility which her father, Joe, owns. 

"I'm not the biggest post in the world. Luckily, I was built to be strong. Working out at The Lab has only helped get me stronger and get me to be a tougher post."

Terry says she thinks that she can bring a variety of things to Coach Quigley-Smith and the Flyers program.

"Ever since I was younger, being taugh that a post should be able to handle the ball, and a post should be able to shoot outside, mid-range."

NCAA Division-II will make Terry the highest-level recruit at Metamora during the Brianna Morrow Era. That's something that she certainly appreciates, but it didn't necessarily sway her decision.

"I kind of made it my own challenge to go further and further," she said, referencing the levels past alums either are playing or have played at. 

Coach Morrow confirms that Terry is the highest-level recruit she's had, including her time spent at Central A&M and St. Teresa. 

Morrow adds that she has "no doubts that her competitive spirit & work ethic will be a big reason for her success at Lewis,". 

The seventh-year head coach thinks that there's a multitude of things that Alana has brought to the Metamora program that she thinks can also replicate at Lewis.

"She has been an excellent leader on and off the court for us. Her intensity and work ethic have helped push our team each year."

As mentioned, Lewis was the first school that reached out to Terry. Offers were also given from North Central College, Loras College, Millikin University, University of Dubuque, Knox College, and Monmouth College. A handful of colleges were also interested, but the preceding list are those that officially offered. 

Alex Staab is the Play-by-Play Broadcaster and handles various other media tasks for the Metamora Girls Basketball program, which he is in his 7th season of doing so in 2020-21. He can be reached by following him on Twitter (@StaabAlex).