When Terrell Brandon walks into a room, the first thing that stands out about him is his smile.
It’s contagious.
And on Sunday night, Brandon’s smile was permanently stuck on his face. He stood just across the street from McArthur Court, on the first floor of Gerlinger Hall, surrounded by a small group of reporters and cameras, smiling as he answered questions about how it felt to be back in Eugene.
Brandon commented on the changes to the campus and University since his playing days in 1989 through 1991, saying the facilities have improved a lot.
“When we were here, a lot of things didn’t work,” he said with his trademark smile. “We had to hit them a couple of times to make them work.”
He also commented on the length of the shorts, inevitably saying the shorts nowadays are double what they once were.
“(They’re) a lot baggier,” Brandon said. “We thought we had baggy shorts back in the day, but we found out they’re actually pretty small.”
A few other things have changed as well for the two-time NBA all star who was drafted No. 11 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1991 draft. He still lives in Portland, but instead of being in the basketball conversation, he operates a barbershop where members of the Trailblazers frequent.
Brandon’s hair is also peppered with gray and he says it’s been at least six years since he last shot a basketball.
“I’m scared, really,” Brandon said, referring to his four knee surgeries that cut his career short.
“I never played for fun before,” Brandon said. “High school was for real and so was college and pros. I feel like if I went out there now, I would get a little bit too serious. That’s why I sit back and just enjoy the time I had.” The former Duck had some good times. He set Oregon records in career and single-season scoring average and assists in a single game. Brandon was the type of point guard who was all over the court making plays and Sports Illustrated even proclaimed he was the best point guard in the NBA during the 1997-1998 season.
That’s why it was nice to see the University honor Brandon with his very own jersey retirement prior to the Oregon State game. A standing ovation welcomed Brandon onto the court as head coach Ernie Kent gave him a framed No. 10 jersey.
Fans recognized the native Oregonian’s efforts both on and off the court and as Brandon and Kent shared a hug, you couldn’t help but smile.
“Wonderful, wonderful,” Brandon said. “It was good to be back. I haven’t been in this building in a long time. It was good to be back and be a Duck.”
Brandon said that he never expected to get the call from Oregon saying his jersey was going to be retired. He won the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 1997, so his humbleness is something that is well known about him.
“It was overwhelming,” Brandon said. “To be put with those players of the past was kind of shocking to me. It is still kind of overwhelming to me. You don’t play the game because of this. You play because you love the game and you love your university. It’s a dream come true. It’s wonderful.”
The Grant High School graduate hasn’t left his home state and he said that he welcomed the challenge of coming to Oregon and representing the state in the NBA.
“I embraced that, I embraced being an Oregonian,” Brandon said. “When I stepped out on that court I was representing a lot of people from Oregon.”
But most of all, people are going to remember him for his days running around Mac Court, playing with tenacity and his smile.
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