There were times when Terrell Ard Jr. lost momentum. Times when others doubted him. Times when he doubted himself.
Today, with his dream of playing professional basketball finally in reach, Ard is eight months into his recovery from a torn achilles. During rehab, he stands on the sidelines of the Zierk Athletic Complex in a white Lions sweater, offering guidance to the Lions basketball team while he prepares for his own future.
After completing his collegiate career at Mount St. Mary’s, Ard is coaching the Lions as he continues working toward playing professionally. Although Ard’s future is bright, the lights didn’t always shine on him.
“I used to be in my head just a lot, asking ‘I’m going to practice. I’m doing workouts after practice. I’m putting shots up at night. I’m working as hard as I can. Why is it not paying off?”’ Ard said. “But thankfully, I had my parents and my uncle, my agent, telling me to keep going.”
As a kid, Ard’s father kept him active in sports, introducing him to football, baseball and basketball. With a father who played baseball, Ard originally wanted to play in the MLB. It wasn’t until his freshman year, when he grew from 5’7” to 6’3”, that he shifted his focus to basketball.
“I’ve always been a guard,” Ard said. “When I got older and a little taller, I still played guard and wing. In college, I had to transition to a forward, but I still showed that I had my guard skills.”
In Marietta, Georgia, Ard bounced around three high schools, searching for the right fit.

“I went to three different high schools,” Ard said. “Freshman year at Marietta High School, sophomore year at Hillgrove High School and my last two years at Allatoona High School.”
At Allatoona, Ard finally felt he could play his game. Yet, despite strong performances, Ard wasn’t recruited- no offers coming out of high school. He began scheduling workouts with different Division I, Division II, and junior college programs, but none gave him interest. Determined, Ard decided to play in an unsigned senior tournament- no distractions, no restrictions, just basketball.
“I played two games and got six Division I offers out of nowhere,” Ard said. “This was the first time where they let me be myself. Once I could be myself and play my game how I wanted to, all the doors opened.”
Following the tournament, Ard reclassified as a senior and went to Putnam Science Academy, a prep school in Connecticut. That summer, opportunities funnelled in for Ard, accumulating 25 offers. His hard work was finally paying off.
“When coaches finally started calling me, I was like ‘yes!’” Ard said. “This was what I always prayed for. This was what I always said I was gonna get.”
But even after reaching Division I basketball, the struggles didn’t stop. Ard committed to the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he felt that he was in a position to succeed. He soon realized how politics in college sports could favor older players. Just as he started to adjust, he tore his ACL in practice. Rehabbing his entire freshman season, Ard was excited to come back stronger the following year. Then came another blow.
“I get to the end of the year meeting, and they tell me ‘We don’t want you any more,’” Ard said. “I was like, ‘This is crazy. I just put in all this work. I was trying so hard and I was making so much progress, and now they don’t want me?”
Searching for a new opportunity, Ard transferred to Presbyterian College, the first school that ever offered him. Eager to gain experience, Ard and the coaching staff rushed his ACL recovery. He played through pain, taking six ibuprofens per day just to stay on the court. When their starting center got injured, they turned to Ard to fill the position, forcing him to sacrifice his playing style. Despite a solid season, friction between him and his coach led him to look in another direction.
“I entered the transport portal at the end of March, but I didn’t find a school until August,” Ard said. “That’s a long time. And the whole time, my coaches at Presbyterian were bashing me, mad at me because I didn’t want to go (back).”
Eventually, Ard landed at Mount St. Mary’s University. Due to transfer portal rules, Ard played guard on the scout team, where he thrived.
“They let me play point guard, and I’m killing, cooking, cooking,” Ard said.
A rule change in late November cleared him to play that season and count it toward his eligibility. With his junior season under way, Ard played off the bench, struggling to break into the rotation.
“My coaches didn’t want to give me an opportunity because they had a favorite player in front of me,” Ard said. “After every game, I’d have fans from my own crowd coming up to me asking ‘why aren’t you playing?’”
After the season, Mount St. Mary’s head coach Dan Engelstad left for Syracuse University, bringing in a new coaching staff for Ard’s senior season. Once again, Ard didn’t start, instead playing as a sixth man and waiting for his time to shine.
“We played the University of Miami, and I had 18 points off the bench,” Ard said. “I was the leading scorer, we won that game, and we upset a high major school.”
Ard was having his best season of his career, until he tore his achilles in the final game of the season.
“After my achilles injury, I cried,” Ard said. “Because everything was going so well. I thought I was going to have an extra year and be able to transfer to a high major school, get paid, and live the lifestyle I always dreamed of. But everything went out the window. It was the lowest I’ve ever been.”
Even at his lowest, Ard looked to his parents and his faith to keep him moving forward.
“I know God’s got me so I have to keep going,” Ard said. “I know He’s got something in place for me.”
In May, Ard began working out with Strength and Conditioning Coach Kevin Dilworth, who introduced him to Greg Guiler. Coaching during his strenuous recovery process has taught Ard lessons not only about basketball, but also about himself.
“I’m so glad that I got this job,” Ard said. “I can stay in the game of basketball, help people and help myself. I learned a lot more about myself.”
Since Ard has experienced the recruiting process first hand, he tries to support the varsity athletes who are going through the same process, while inspiring his 8th-grade athletes to play with the freedom.
“I try to see little things that could help them out with and also be like a big brother outside of basketball,” Ard said. “Carter (varsity basketball athlete) comes to me a lot. From eighth grade all the way up, I have a connection with everybody because I don’t want to just single anybody out.”
With his supporting crew and agent behind him, Ard has his sights set on the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament in Virginia, and eventually the 2026 NBA Draft Combine.
“If you have a dream, chase it until you can’t go any further,” Ard said. “I’ve known since I was little that I wanted to go to the NBA. I know that once I get the proper opportunity to show that I can play, I know I’m going to do great.”