Terrence Gilder learned a lot during his first year in the Pacific University Men’s Basketball program, and that only made him hungrier to chase after his primary goal: win a Northwest Conference Championship.
The sophomore guard played a pivotal role in Head Coach Justin Lunt’s first season running the Boxers, sporting multiple top five finishes in team statistics including minutes played and rebounds. “I learned that the NWC is very competitive and tough to win games at home or away,” Gilder said of the exposure.
Pacific finished eighth in conference for the 2018-2019 season, leading to heavy work in the off-season for the guard. “I worked on ball handling and trying to stay consistent with my jumper,” says Gilder. “I wanted to ensure I came back stronger in those areas to help the team out even more this year.”
With a stacked recruiting class, Gilder knows he plays a larger role than just a player on this team. “The team dynamic this year is a great group of guys, some transfers and the rest Freshman,” says the guard. He believes along with other returning players the Boxers can help out the newcomers and teach them the culture present at Pacific.
“All of us glue together and I believe we are the closest team on campus” said the second-year player. “This team feels like a brotherhood more than anything.”
Projected to finish seventh in the conference in the 2019-2020 season, the Arizona native isn’t bothered, in fact, welcomes the low rank.
“Honestly I love being ranked that low because we are going to surprise the conference this year,” Gilder said. “Being projected to finish seventh in the conference this year gives us a chip on our shoulder for sure.”
Adding more fuel to the team, Gilder says the low ranking has made the team practice and play even harder, wanting to prove to themselves they’re better than the seventh team in the conference.
According to the sophomore, this Boxer basketball team controls their own destiny.
“As a team this year we’re capable of finishing wherever we like,” he said. “It will come down to how hard we work in practice and how we prepare for each and every game.”
Individually, Gilder’s goals are simple: “I hope all the hard work I put in this summer translates to the season — nothing more rewarding than seeing the improvement to your game.”
His own statistics are secondary to winning, and more importantly stands behind the Boxers taking home a Northwest Conference title.
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