Terrance Traylor knew where he stood, and so did his Ewing High School teammates.
The moment the Blue Devils senior point guard dropped in a left-handed layup off a fastbreak turnover with 5:06 left in a big win over Hamilton on January 15, his teammates swarmed him to celebrate his 1,000th career point.
“It just felt great to hit it,” Traylor said. “It felt surreal.”
The moment was just one highlight in a final season with Ewing to cap a consistently impressive career. Scoring has always been a big part of Traylor’s game. In his first season starting as a sophomore, he averaged 11.7 points per game. His junior season, he upped it to 13.9 points per game. This year, he posted 514 points, an average of 18.4 points per game.
“I knew it was my last year, so it just meant a lot to me,” said Traylor. “And being a senior this year, I was more the number one option. Maybe before I was like pass first, but I just went out there and pulled my team.”
Traylor’s passing didn’t dip much. He would have been a fantasy league first-round pick with numbers like his. Not only was he scoring close to 20 points per game, he dished out more than five assists per contest. He closed his career with 480 assists.
“I’m a point guard first so that’s just like my natural game so I feel like that’s always going to come to me easily,” he said.
He also had his best rebounding year with 5.7 rebounds per game, something he attributed to his teammates boxing out well and allowing him to track down the ball. His overall numbers helped to help carry the Blue Devils to a 19-9 season.
“Things went well, but I feel like we could have went farther as a team, made it to at least sectionals finals,” Traylor said. “But I feel like it still went well and we played good as a team.”
Ewing reached the quarterfinals of the Colonial Valley Conference tournament and in the Central Jersey Group 3 tournament, they finished off Brick Township and Northern Burlington before finally bowing out to Westampton Tech in the sectional semifinals.
“I was just happy about the guys coming together and having a good season,” Traylor said. “That was the main thing. We all bonded really well. And I feel like being a family is the best thing, the memories you make with your teammates.”
Traylor leaves a memorable legacy of his own. He is the 17th player in program history to score 1,000 points in a career.
“I definitely thought about that,” Traylor said. “That was a big goal for me.”
Joel Cineus reached the milestone last year, but there was less fanfare because he did it on the road.
Traylor was determined to reach the mark at home when he came within 22 points of it leading into Hamilton. He was confident he could accomplish it but did feel some pressure being so close to the mark.
“I was a little nervous because I just didn’t know what the moment was going to feel like,” he said. “But it was like good nerves. It was like nerves for a good moment. I knew it was going to happen.”
It was part of another solid season. This one was more special because it came in his final time at Ewing as part of a strong senior class that included Hyshyon Cannon, Tyon Lind, Shawn Robertson, Jessiah Stephenson, Khayden Sullivan and Kristian Thomas.
“The senior class, we’re all really tight,” Traylor said. “Definitely tight together. We’ve all been together since like sophomore year so we’ve been waiting for it.”
They helped put together a series of good runs. The season began with five straight wins. In the middle of the year, they won eight out of nine games. They had grand visions of advancing to a title game in the CVC and in the sectional before suffering narrow losses in both.
“I feel like that’s everybody’s goal – go farther and win,” Traylor said. “But sometimes it doesn’t go like that.”
The class has seen consistent success. Over their final three seasons, the Blue Devils won 58 games. They have helped to set the bar high for next season and beyond. They’ll hand off the reins to the likes of juniors Jeremiah Upshur, Michael Upshur and Jason Carter along with sophomores Josiah Andino and Jaxon Carter.
“I feel like they look great,” Traylor said. “They work hard, and it’s hard work. You never know what will happen with hard work.”
Traylor credits his development to hard work. He came into high school with some skills and he has continued to work at them. This year, he led the Blue Devils in 3-pointers, a tribute to fine tuning his outside shooting with his coaches. It’s helped him to become a more complete player.
“I feel like my game has just matured and I became a smarter player IQ wise,” he said. “I started to make better decisions and have less turnovers. And I feel like this year and last year I shot the ball really well, way better than my sophomore year.”
The skill work added to his non-stop motor and grit.
“I always felt like I played hard but I’m definitely stronger now than I was when I first started,” he said. “I always played bigger than I was.”
He expects that growth to continue at the next level. Traylor is trying to narrow his best fit for where to play in college. He can follow in the footsteps of several recent Ewing graduates who are playing in college.
“I always thought I could play in college,” Traylor said. “When I got to middle school it became a real goal for me – like that’s something I want to do in life, I want to play college basketball while still getting my education.”
Traylor is turning his attention to how he can help a college team now. He projects as a point guard who can both score and set up teammates. He’s hoping to bring many of the same things into college that worked for him in high school.
“I feel like the biggest challenge would be probably the physicality at the next level,” Traylor said. “But if I just stay working hard and get stronger, then I should be OK. I feel like my game can translate really well.”
So far, Terrance Traylor has been able to accomplish many of his personal goals. Scoring 1,000 points this season was just one big reward for all his hard work, and he has tried to pass that lesson along to the next wave of players that will try to carry Ewing to new heights.
“I feel like I showed them what it takes to be good and the dedication it takes and the hours,” Traylor said.
EHS boys’ basketball player Terrance Traylor jumps to score a basket.,
