HSU Basketball Alumnus signs with team in Mexico

(ABILENE, Texas)–On August 2, Hardin-Simmons University basketball alumnus Jalen Terry ’19 signed with Peregrinos de Badiraguato, a professional basketball team from Badiraguato, Sinaloa on the western side of Mexico. The team’s season starts on August 30, when the Peregrinos take on Fuerza Maizera de Navolato.

Terry explains that “the tryout experience was tough. Being a no-name rookie from a small school put me in a tough situation, but I also played with a chip on my shoulder and didn’t care about where everyone else came from. I played and had the intention to kill everyone on the court and turn heads.”

Jalen Terry ’19

Terry, originally from Alaska, came to Hardin-Simmons as a transfer student in his senior year. This past season, Terry led the Cowboys with a near 13-point scoring average, all within 20 minutes of each game. Terry also helped the team recover after its first losing season since 2010 last year. The cowboys now average over 85 points per game, the second highest NCAA DIII scoring average since 2009.

When asked why he transferred to the big country, Terry said he moved so his grandmother, who lives in Abilene, could see him play basketball. Although Terry studied at schools in Colorado and California before transferring to HSU, Abilene holds a special place in the 6-foot-7 marketing major’s heart.

In an interview with KTXS, Terry once said that “Abilene’s always going to be a part of me; I have family here, friends here, people to embrace me like that and me embrace them like that. So, Abilene will always have a place in my heart, definitely.”

Regarding his upcoming move, Terry says with a laugh, “I am very nervous. I am excited, though, and confident in all the work I’ve put in my craft and game.”

“This opportunity means everything,” explains Terry. “God is great. Through injuries and transfers, he’s been there through it all. I’m going to take full advantage of this and keep moving up. My goal is to play at the highest level I can, in Europe.”