A Clemson Tiger From The Past: Terrence Oglesby

This week’s Clemson basketball player from the past is long distance gunner and gym rat, Terence Oglesby.

Terrence Oglesby came to Clemson with the reputation as a free wheeling shooter from long range. He was born in Norway and holds dual citizenship there and in the United States. Oglesby played for Bradley Central High in Cleveland, TN and is the school’s all-time leading scorer. Before coming to Clemson, he averaged 26.4 points, six assists, and 2.6 steals per game as a senior.

The 6’2 shooting guard was perfect for Clemson head coach Oliver Purnell’s up and down pressing style of basketball. During the 2007-08 season, Oglesby averaged 10.5 points per game but 11.5 in road games. He was sometimes jeered by fans on the road and he loved it.

As a freshman, he led the team in free throw percentage(85.1), three pointers made(85), and three point percentage(40.3). His three point percentage was also third best in the ACC and he was named to the conference Honorable Mention Freshman team.

Before the 2008-09 basketball season, Oglesby played with Norway at the FIBA 20 and under European championships and led the team with a 24.4 scoring average. He took that momentum from the championships and ended his sophomore season averaging 13.2 points per game for the #24 team in the final AP poll.

He also continued his consistent shooting by hitting 38 percent of his team leading 92 threes and making 84 percent of his foul shots. Oglesby was the third leading scorer on the team behind Trevor Booker(15.3) and K.C. Rivers(14.2) but led in scoring twelve times.

In 2009, he turned pro and has played for teams in Italy, Ukraine, Spain, Sweden, France, and the Republic of Georgia. He has consistently maintained an average of about 16 points per game for eight teams in Europe and recently played for the Iowa Energy of the NBA Developmental League.

I caught up with Terrence as he and his wife, Maria wait on the birth of their first child.

Q: Many Clemson fans were disappointed when you left early. Why did you leave?
A number of reasons, first and foremost, I wanted to play basketball professionally. I didn’t realize that was possible until I played with the Norwegian National Team after my freshman season. Secondly, my ultimate goal was to play in the NBA. Therefore, the only way for an undersized 6’2 shooting guard, with short arms, to make it there was to learn the point guard position. There was not going to be an opportunity to do that, where I was at Clemson.

Clemson is a special place and there isn’t a better and friendlier atmosphere among the general student population, anywhere in the country. You also have to wonder what would have happened, had I come back. Either, I would have played great, helped the team win more games, kept scoring or Purnell would have relegated me to come off the bench and killed my opportunity to achieve my ultimate goal of playing professionally.

I miss all those late nights and all the time I spent at Littlejohn. I’m almost willing to bet that I spent more time there than some of the guys did during a full 4 years. I loved the games, the warmups, Tiger Rag, and the fans. I’ve played in some raucous environments in Europe, but there is something special about the college game and the feeling that the fans and the players are in it together.

Q: Have you been able to watch any basketball games this season?
Yes, and I love the team he has put together and the way he coaches. I wish I could have gotten that many screens at Clemson. What many people don’t understand is that tournament basketball is won with half court execution and half court defense. Once Coach Brownell can break the barrier and get to the tournament, they could make some noise.

Q: Best thing about playing overseas?
The experience of getting out of your comfort zone living among the locals. Many people claim to have gone to Barcelona or Paris, but it is a different experience to live in small towns and having to really adapt to a different way of life. The food and different parts of the country side that are off the beaten path, are also a big thing for me. I’ve met a lot of great people during my time abroad and still hold relationships with teammates, that I would have never met had I not gotten the opportunity to go overseas. I met my wife there and that’s about as good as it gets. Another thing is I get to play. I still love playing even if getting up in the morning is becoming harder and harder.

Q: Worst thing about playing overseas?
It gets pretty lonely over there. It has been much better, since I met Maria, but even then you miss your friends and family.
Another thing is missing the convenience of the United States. If you need something at 1am, chances are it is available to you. Restaurants typically close around 10 in some countries and you better have done your grocery shopping,especially if you get hungry again. The language barrier was a problem at first, but after a while you don’t even think about it. There have been special cases in the eastern European countries I’ve been in, where we have had problems with water cutting off for 4-5 days at a time. The biggest problem there is that you can’t wash your hands, clothes, or dishes. When I played in the Ukraine, my water shut off after 9pm every night.

Q: Were you keeping up with the football team?
I’ve been so happy for Dabo. What a quality individual. I had the pleasure of meeting him when he first got the job. His character rubs off on his team, and the culture he has created there is one to be replicated by every coach that aspires to be great. One thing I have learned while being in different spots in Europe is that the best coaches aren’t necessarily the best with X’s and O’s, but the ones that get guys to buy into a culture of success and positivity.

I’ve enjoyed watching Deshaun Watson and how much speed the offense plays with. I watch every single game at home as if I’m in attendance. My wife looks at me like I’m crazy. Being from Sweden, she doesn’t quite appreciate the significance of going for it on 4th and 2, or American football in general for that matter, but she is coming around. When I am overseas, I watch every game that starts before 3pm eastern time. Because of the time difference, it is impossible for me to catch the prime time games. While I see all of my Clemson friends complain about the early start times, I end up being pretty happy about noon games.

Q: The most memorable Clemson game in your career.

If you want me to be positive, then I would say my favorite game was my freshman year against Florida State in Littlejohn, and the game went into double overtime. That is the loudest I’ve ever heard LittleJohn. Sure, beating Duke by 27 was nice, but the Florida State game took so much of our team’s heart and the game was played with so much passion and grit.

Another game was obviously the Maryland game, where I hit the game winner. We had some battles with Maryland, but that one was special because that put us in the NCAA tournament for the first time in many years.

Q: The best thing about Clemson.
I don’t know if I can just answer with one thing. I am finishing classes now, and I wish I had Vickery Hall’s help. I didn’t realize what a luxury that was to have at the time. The student body as a whole is amazing. What other school camps for both football and basketball games. Usually with other schools it is one or the other. I think someone told me that they went to an E-ticket system and there isn’t anymore camping which I think is a travesty. What an unbelievable recruiting tool.

Q: Have you been back to any basketball games?
No, I haven’t. I am a little apprehensive as to how I would be received by the general public, but I feel as if enough time has passed to where not many people would recognize me anyway. I have no question been watching from afar though.

Q: To follow up on your answer about being apprehensive about attending games and how you would be received. What do you think the Clemson fans think of you? People will see that answer and just wonder what you are feeling?

I have been back to visit the new coaching staff and introduce myself. I know for sure that no one who had any kind of personal relationship with me would be negative in anyway. However, there are always a few individuals who don’t feel any need for me to be back. I understand that. When I announced I was leaving, I received about 30 negative messages over Facebook and email that wished me poor luck and to not bother showing up again. (And that is putting it nicely) I think next time that I have the opportunity, I will make the trip though.

Terrence Oglesby was known as a volume shooter but his numbers show that he was also a very accurate shooter. He is sixth all-time at Clemson with a 39.5 percent average on threes and third all-time on free throws with a 84.7 accuracy rate.

More tigers: =Clemson Football: Creating Competitive Depth

Despite a bad experience with a few fans on social media, he is a true Clemson fan and a proud former athlete of the university. In a couple weeks, he will be raising his first child and surely telling him about his days in a Clemson Tiger uniform.

Oglesby currently resides in his hometown of Cleveland, TN and will explore his overseas opportunities only after the birth of his son.

Here are a few noteworthy, Terence Oglesby Clemson facts:

• 356 points as a freshman(5th all-time)
• 85 three pointers as a freshman(1st)
• 92 three pointers as a sophomore(2nd), (4th all-time)
• 2.88 three pointers a game(4th)