Theodore Terdoslavich III
 | |
| No. 40 – Oregon Swashbucklers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Bigfur |
| Species | Gray Wolf ( Canidae ) |
| Gender | Male |
| Nickname(s) | |
| Theo, Sport, Ted III | |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
December 7, 2003 Fayetteville, NC |
| Listed height | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) |
| Listed weight | 290 lb (132 kg) |
| Shoots | Right-handed |
| Career information | |
| School | North Carolina Wolfpack University |
| FBA draft | 2024 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall |
| Selected by the Oregon Swashbucklers | |
| Pro playing career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| 2024 - present | Oregon Swashbucklers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Contract information | |
| Contract year | 2024 |
| 2026 Salary | $4 million |
| Player Contacts | |
| (IC) Agent | Sam Gwosdz |
| (OOC) Creator | Sam Gwosdz |
| (OOC) Actor | Unknown |
| (OOC) Usage | Ask me before any use |
Biography
"Pawpaw, how come you wore goggles when you played?"
Little five-year old Theodore Terdoslavich III asked this to his grandfather as they looked at the television's paused video. A young, tall black-haired wolf was dressed in the Minutemen home uniform adorned with the number forty, his hands on his hips. Blue-rimmed goggles hugged his head and pressed his hair, making the upper part stick out a little bit. The boy's grandfather gave him a little smile.
"Well, Theo, sometimes I can't see good, so the team made special goggles for me to see on the court. If ya play with glasses, they just fall off."
"Ooooooh, okay. You can unpause it now, Pawpaw, I wanna see you score some more!"
"Hahaha, okay, Theo."
Both of them didn't know it then, but that little moment sixteen years ago would be the start of something special.
Theodore was born in 2003 to Theodore, Jr. and Millie Terdoslavich in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He had a sister named Chelsea and a brother named Lawrence. The eldest Theodore lived in Greensboro, so it was always a bit of a drive to go to his house. But little Theo loved every minute of the drive because he got to see his grandfather. His grandpa had an old basketball hoop and his collection of old Minutemen games from when he played. Then one day, that question was asked.
And little Theo wanted to learn basketball with his grandfather happy to teach him. Their bond grew over the years and Theo's parents were happy to support their boy's new hobby. Theo even went so far as to collect as many old Minutemen cards from his grandpa's playing days as he could, though the holy grail of the Jake Masters rookie card continued to elude him.
He was a good student and talented with math, but he liked to focus on basketball when he played in PE. And he got better and better, using the lessons his grandfather taught him. Generally, Theo was quiet and unassuming; some in school may even have called him a nerd. But competition brought out the best in him as it drove him to succeed, almost as if he became a different person on the court.
Interestingly enough, the Terdoslavich family had exceptional height in their family tree; Theodore Jr. was 6'8" himself. At first, Theo played shooting guard and was a talented shooter.
But then he started to grow. And grow. By the time he reached high school, he was already as tall as his grandfather: six feet, 11 inches. This garnered him a lot of looks from scouts already, especially from nearby North Carolina Wolfpack University. As it was the dream of many a Tarhock canine to play at Wolfpack U, Theo's dreams were already consuming his mind. He was still able to focus on doing well in math in high school, but other subjects suffered a little as basketball began to take over more and more.
Now that he was so tall, his inside game became dominant and he attacked the rim with ease, getting dunks and controlling the paint. As he needed glasses in general, Theo even started to wear prescription goggles in games to emulate his grandad. In his senior year, Theo averaged a 25-15 double-double. The day that NCWU came to recruit him at the start of that year, was one of the best days of his life. He was one step closer to being just like his pawpaw.
Then the reality of tougher college competition hit.
It was so much tougher now that there were other players and even pro hopefuls just as talented and tall as he was. At several points that freshman year back in 2020-21, Theo lacked a lot of confidence and had to lean on his grandfather for advice much more than usual. His ego even took a little bit of a hit; although he did get attention with his famous pedigree, everyone paid a lot more attention to the leader of the team: guard Avery Kelly, sister of pro Blake Kelly.
Theo's grandpa reiterated a lot of things, but one day while paying a visit to an empty practice gym, Theo looked at his grandpa after taking some shots. He knew Theo wanted to be alone when he was feeling a bit down, so he figured this is where he would find the young wolf long after everyone else had gone home. Theo corralled the bouncing basketball after a shot and looked at his grandfather.
"Pawpaw, am I really going to make it? Some days I'm not so sure. I mean, there was that game against Atlanta Felidae and I just..."
The elder Theodore held up a hand and Theo knew that meant he wanted to speak. He motioned to one of the far walls of the gym, where a banner displayed "GO PACK!" in bold black and light blue letters.
"Sport, listen: you're part of the Pack now and you have to act like it. One thing we do in general is stand for each other and never give up. We all work together to succeed, and it takes commitment for everyone to not only do their job, but improve. That's how any Pack moves forward in all walks of life. I'm sure your father's told you that as well, right? And you still do it in math, right?"
Theo nodded; he could almost sense the emphasis that his grandpa put on the "Pack."
"Yeah, Dad has said that. And yes, sir, I do."
Theodore then clapped his grandson on the shoulder. "Then just keep that in mind, and you'll only have to worry about your job."
"Y-yeah, I guess so. Thanks, Pawpaw."
"Anytime, Sport."
"Heh, you know, that's what everyone calls me now."
"Oh, really?"
"I let it slip one day, and Kelly is all 'Awwww, that's so adorable!'" Theo said with a mock high voice, followed with an embarrassed grin.
The elder wolf laughed and clapped his grandson on the shoulder. "Well, I'd say that means you're accepted. You'll do fine; I know you will."
Terdoslavich grew into a strong inside presence for NC Wolfpack U, becoming an expert at boxing out and scoring putbacks and easy defensive rebounds with his strong leaping ability for his height. He even adopted a tactic from his grandfather using subtle nudges to create space for rebounds. His range of shots extended to mid-range, but he occasionally fooled around with a three-point shot. Theo's mainstay on offense became strong drives with close range shots with slams. He wasn't much for flair, but he did develop a powerful dunk and light touch for a mid-range shot. His ability to pass was average, drawing from his experience years ago from when he was a guard.
On defense, Terdoslavich worked on his strength to box out opponents better. His footwork was exceptional and helped with his rebounding and blocking although he had zero ability to steal the ball. The team was exceptional with his contributions, going deep into multiple FCAA Tourneys during his time there.
And in addition to all that, Terdoslavich is a team player, taking his grandfather's advice to heart. He became ready to dedicate himself to any task the team needed him to do. As a benefit, he matured as a team leader for the frontcourt. And after four years with the Pack, graduating with a degree in mathematics and working to make the university and family proud during his time there, he will continue that in the pros. Even if he has to take some more lumps on the way.
Images
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Drawn by LavenderBell -
Drawn by Sam Gwosdz -
Drawn by Sam Gwosdz
