Dejah Terrell is about to move to Turkey to play for Turgutlu, the latest turn in her unique career path.
A late bloomer, Terrell didn’t pick up a basketball until 7th grade. She went from a Division III school, where she broke six records in two years, to a Division II school, where she suffered a serious injury but came back. She’s smart, energetic and confident in her abilities. Add to that her work ethic and sky’s the limit for the 6-foot-1 forward who will soon leave Pennsylvania and embark on, hopefully, a long and successful pro career.
How did your move to Turkey come about? Why did you decide on your particular team?
Well, honestly, when I first started to learn about overseas, I always was told that Turkey was a great place to go. It’s really good for women players. So I always had in the back of my mind, like, “Okay, Turkey sounds like a cool idea.” Then I started looking for agents. I honestly e-mailed every agent possible and once my agent got back to me, he told me what I wanted to hear and he honestly just did all the work for me, sent my film out and let people know who I was.
And they decided that you would be the perfect player for them, right? Because you come from a Division II school. How much of a drawback is it when looking for a job?
Yeah. I didn’t know it would be such a drawback, but it definitely is being from Division II or III. I noticed that overseas teams tend to not look past Division I. The top teams normally have the best players out of America and they typically come from Division I. So it makes sense.
And this will be your first time actually moving from Pennsylvania.
Honestly, I think it’s going to be a huge step and it doesn’t have really anything to do with the location. I can leave PA behind because I know I can always come back, but leaving my family—they’re mostly in Reading, PA—I think that’s going to be one of the hardest things to do for me. But I’ll have God in my hands and I’ll be just fine.
Do you already have a plan about what you’re going to do once you arrive in Turkey?
My dad will be with me, so once he’s there, we’re going to just travel a little bit while we’re there, get adjusted and see what little things I can bring back to my apartment to make me feel as close at home as possible.
You’re close with your dad. What about your mom? Who was more influential in your career so far?
My mom…
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