At 10 years old, Shaun Terry II drank a Mountain Dew before a basketball game.
He committed four fouls before the first quarter ended.
Moving forward, his father, Shaun Terry, said no more caffeine. Terry II was already a high-strung kid when it came to sports, and while his dad admitted it was never a lack of effort, Terry II still needed to be calmed down at times.
"He wants to compete and wants to win so much that he will do anything, including hurt himself," Terry said. "He's so determined. I don't know. I guess he watched too many Kobe Bryant breaking his finger videos and still going and playing."
Three years earlier, Terry II showed off that fearlessness when his father helped him work on his jumping ability. Stacking five white lawn chairs, Terry watched his son dive head first and land on his stomach completely disregarding the point of the drill to hurdle the chairs.
That competitiveness and willingness to complete a challenge stemmed from a belief that Terry II had no limits.
"The one thing about Shaun is that he does not see size," Terry said. "In his mind, if Michael Jordan was in his prime, let's go to the court. I'm going to get you, I'm going to score. That's his mentality."
More on Terry II's story leading up to his enrollment at Missouri:
No challenge too tall: The story of Shaun Terry II
Before he arrived at Missouri, Shaun Terry II rose through his football career with the confidence to achieve anything.
