By ALEX ABATE ~ Sports Writer

Josh Terry, from Henderson County High School in Henderson, Ky., signed his letter of intent last week to play for the Raiders.

"I went there last week and everybody was friendly," Terry said. "I played with the other guys and I seemed to fit in quite well."

Terry is a 6-foot-4, 193-pound forward who averaged 25.0 points and 9.2 rebounds over his senior season.

"All the word is that he is a great kid and athletic and has good potential " Raiders coach Gene Bess said. "We are excited about him."

Terry was the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches Region 4 player of the year and averaged 3.0 steals and 1.8 assists per game. He scored 1,365 career points, seventh in Henderson County history. Terry is a hard worker, something Bess loves to see with the Raiders.

"There will be nobody that outworks him," Henderson County High School coach Mark Starns said. "He will show up to play every night and he has ambitions to play at a Division I school."

Although already solid down low, Terry may be asked to develop different parts of his at the next level as the game role of point guard has opened up with the departure of All-American Bryan Sherrer.

"I think that is his hope and our hope that he would gradually develop into an all-around player Bess said. "He will be working to bring his perimeter game along."

All the new recruits, along with Terry, will shape their own paths as opposed to fill the shoes of a player that has departed, Bess said.

"We are not putting any label on them like they are going to replace so and Bess said. "They are going to come in and we are going to bring them all together and they are going to contribute according to their own abilities."

His perimeter game is coming along Starns said.

"We did ballhandling moves every day he said. "Josh does pretty good with ballhandling."

Terry made many big plays at Henderson County and likes big spots.

"I like the pressure, and the pressure never scares me," Terry said. "I want to do good and not let team down and that is why I my enjoy pressure."

One of Bess' keys to winning is defense, and Terry got plenty of emphasis on that over the course of his high school career, Starns said.

"I can tell we hang our hat on defense," Starns said. "You are getting a guy that knows how to play defense and knows how to get the ball and rebound. He could be a small three or an undersized four at that level."

The coaching staff of Terry and fellow new recruit Marland Johnson prepared the players well for the challenges that will come at Three Rivers, Bess said.

"I think if they played at good prog which both the first guys have, they will have good quickness," Bess said. "That has led me to believe that they can play at a top level defensively."