Hines scores 1,000th point

Senior Terry Hines scored his 1,000th point for Covenant Thursday.

Terry Hines has thousands of great memories of his time playing basketball at Covenant. None may stand out more than scoring his 1,000th point on senior night though.

With a 3-pointer from in front of his own bench in the fourth quarter Thursday, Hines became the first Covenant player to score 1,000 points. It was part of a 22-point effort in a 61-49 win over West Academy on senior night, where Hines, Elijah Smith, David Netherton, Ian Lyles, Jackson Sauer and Ethan Hillis were all honored.

Hines knew coming into the game he was close to the career milestone late in the fourth quarter. When coach Ryan Smith started yelling, “Carolina,’ Hines knew he had to step up and make a big shot.

“Coach ran me a play. He did that just for me. And he left me in all night to let me get it,” said Hines on the play that sprung him loose for the momentous triple. “Noah Mason had been selfless all night – he could’ve scored easily but he was throwing it to me. On that 3, he hit me right in the hands.

“I just looked at the guy and shot it. I felt it was going in. We all went crazy and we were happy.”

Long known as the team’s go-to player, Hines has developed a reputation as a do-it-all guy for the Lions. Always one to stuff the stat sheet – including his triple-double against Boyd last week – Hines has chipped away at 1,000 points over the last four years.

Getting it on a long ball was a part of his maturation as a player, according to his coach.

“He has worked so hard on his own. You can tell – last year, he wasn’t comfortable with his shot. Now, he gets his 1,000th point on a 3-pointer this year,” said Smith, who has coached Hines for the last seven seasons. “He is what he is now and it’s through hard work.”

The Covenant crowd went wild when Terry Hines drained a triple for his 1,000th point

Thursday was already going to draw a big audience due to it being senior night. Hines had plenty of family in the crowd rooting for him to reach the career mark at home. It may have put a little extra weight on his shoulders by tip-off, but it all was lifted when he saw his shot splash through the net.

“I had some pressure coming in. I had some people say, ‘You need to get it tonight.’ But in the end, it’s just another game. If we won and I didn’t score 1,000, I would be fine,” said Hines. “To be surrounded by all my friends was a really nice feeling. To have it at home was all the better.”

Hines credited his teammates, particularly Mason, for looking his way early and often. But the biggest assist came from above, according to Hines.

“I’m thankful for the Lord for it. He’s allowed me to play. I’ve been hurting with my ankle – I taped it and prayed and it felt fine. This felt amazing. It was a product of a lot of things coming together,” said Hines.

With his personal goal now out of the way, Hines can turn his focus to the one thing that has been driving him for years. He wants to bring a title back to Covenant.

Whether it happens remains to be seen, but if there’s a big shot to be made to get it done, odds are the 1,000-point player will be taking it.