By THOMAS ST. MYER
tstmyer@muncie.gannett.com

MUNCIE — Terrence Watson wrestles with his bed sheets in his Ball State campus apartment, wondering who in their right mind is calling him at 6 in the morning.

As he reaches the phone and recognizes the number, his mind races with a million thoughts, none of them pleasant. Terrence says hello. His father tries to muster the words on the other end, but nothing comes out.

Terrence hangs up the phone and in a panic starts dialing numbers. He reaches his stepfather, Willie Walton, and discovers that his sister, Nigeria, has died on this May morning from heart complications.

“When (my father) didn’t tell me, I thought, ‘Crap, what’s going on with my dad,’” Terrence says. “Then I thought it was my mom. I would’ve never thought my sister, because she had just turned 30, so that was the last person on my mind.”

Terrence says Nigeria will be sitting front row from high above Friday when Ball State plays host to Valparaiso at Worthen Arena.

The Ball State senior plays in an official game for the first time since March of 2008, and he expects Nigeria’s voice to be ringing in his ears, just not from the crowd as in years past.

“This is the first time in my life I’ll be looking in the stands and not hear her, but I know she’s with me,” Terrence says. “She’s my best friend, and she’s going to keep that tradition up. She’ll be here on Friday. … I dedicate this season to my sister.”

Terrence returns to the court Friday after sitting out last season. He transferred to Ball State from Mississippi where he averaged only 6.7 minutes per in 18 games. He previously played at Mott Community College.

His one season at Mississippi fell far short of his expectations, but Terrence holds no regrets.

“Who wouldn’t want to play in the SEC and get to play against some of the powerhouse teams, Kentucky and Georgia and Florida?” Terrence says. “I wouldn’t change it for the world, but playing time wasn’t what I thought it would be, and with moving back to the Midwest I’m closer to home, and I give my family a chance to come down and see me. I just wanted my mom and dad to see me play my last year of college basketball.”

Path to Ball State

Terrence wound up at Ball State after Rob Giles, who transferred from Mott to Ball State, sold him on the program. Giles raved about head coach Billy Taylor and Terrence bought in after a few conversations with Taylor.

Giles says Terrence possesses the talent to leave a lasting fingerprint on the Ball State program in just one season. His stay in Mississippi proved to be forgettable, but Terrence averaged 12.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.4 blocks and 2.8 steals per game as a sophomore when Mott won the NJCAA Division II National Championship.

“I definitely think he’s going to be a major contributor,” says Giles, who practices at Ohio Wesleyan, where his brother coaches, in preparation for potentially playing overseas. “He’s what you call a stat-filler. He does everything. He rebounds. He gets blocks. He gets steals. He scores points. He’s going to be something exciting to watch.”

Terrence held his own as a teenager against some household names in Detroit. To wind up at a junior college dealt a blow to his pride, but he turned those two years at Mott into a positive learning experience for what awaited.

“I played AAU basketball with a lot of big name guys, so it was kind of tough for me starting out. I’m at a community college, and all my friends — Eric Devendorf’s at Syracuse, Wilson Chandler’s at DePaul,” says Terrence, whose 32-year-old brother Nyle played at Lansing Community College. “That’s why I always had aspirations of playing at the Division I level, but at the end of the day I think it was the best thing for me. It gave me the chance to get into the school setting and get situated with college, and it gave me a chance to win, meet great guys and win a national championship. It gave me a chance to meet Rob Giles who helped get me here.”

For Terrence, last year tested his patience as he sat out games in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. He took out his frustration at practice where he provided his share of highlight-reel plays.

Sophomore point guard Randy Davis remembers a practice when he drove in for an uncontested layup only to be swatted by Watson, who leaped out of nowhere.

“He’s just so long and lengthy that he can change a lot of people’s shots,” Davis says. “With his wingspan he’s almost as tall as (6-9) Jarrod (Jones).”

Keeping her memory alive

Taylor says Terrence provides the Cardinals a versatile player with leadership attributes. He showcased those skills at Nigeria’s funeral where their mother, Meredith, says he delivered a powerful, spiritually uplifting message.

Virtually all the Cardinals praise Terrence for his positive attitude. He relaxes everyone around him with one flash of his megawatt smile or by breaking out one of his trademark freestyle raps.

“He’s somewhat of a kidder, a clown. He plays around a lot,” Jones says.

Giles describes Terrence as someone always there to offer a shoulder to lean on. The ex-roommate returned the favor in May when Terrence lost his sister.

“They were really, really close. It hurt him a lot,” Giles says. “That was like his best friend in the world. Losing her was tough, but I tried to stick behind him and make sure he came out right.”

Six months removed from that tragic morning, Terrence remembers Nigeria in glowing light. He recalls how she took shopping trips and always sent him new clothing, how she showed up to his games and cheered loud enough for everyone in the gym to hear her, and how she reached out to children.

“My sister was a school teacher, so in the community she was a very important person,” he says. “I remember sometimes she would just stop at random bus stops that would pick up kids and give all the little kids candy. Everybody loved her. Everybody.”

Terrence pictures his sister through his memories, but whenever those visions fade he checks out Facebook for photos of his nephew, Nylan.

Three weeks before her death, Nigeria brought a new life into the world.

“It was right after she had her son, so it seemed like I got a son rather than a little nephew,” Terrence says. “She always told me she wanted kids. She got exactly what she wanted in a kid. I always go on Facebook and look at the pictures and laugh about it, because they have the same lips and everything.”

Terrence promises to make sure Nylan knows his mother. Pictures of her will provide a visual image and Terrence will take care of the rest.

Terrence feels no bitterness nor holds any grudges about the death of his sister. He just feels blessed for the years he spent with Nigeria before God took her in his hands.

“It’s life, man,” he says. “God makes sure everything happens for a reason.”