“Points-per-warm-up,” the guard recently explained. “Fifty-six-point-six currently. I’m definitely leading the country. And my field-goal efficiency is through the roof.”

Terrell might be joking. Then again, he might not.

“In my four years,” teammate Jake Layman said, “I’ve never seen anybody make as many shots as he does in warm-ups.”

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Being the 14th player (of 14) on this Maryland team is not what it might seem. The Terps have won 23 games, and are one of just three teams in the country to be ranked in the top 10 of every AP poll this season. And yet, as local cardiologists and barkeeps can attest, they seem allergic to the comfortable blowout. Twelve of their 23 wins have come by a dozen points or less. Many have been decided in the final minute.

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That means, despite Maryland’s gaudy record and Final Four ambitions, there has been precious little garbage time, and surprisingly few openings for a quick-triggered and quick-witted 14th man to get on the court.

“I think Coach Turgeon does a really good job of saving people’s legs,” Terrell said. “Personally, I think he’s doing a great job of saving my legs.”

So the 5-foot-10 guard has made himself useful in other ways. He’s part of the five-man scout team, a “great player” who “works hard in practice, gets people better” and “could play at this level at any other school,” according to Layman. But he’s also unofficially in charge of providing comic relief for a veteran team facing massive expectations.

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“He’s always keeping us smiling — especially me,” said Melo Trimble, Terrell’s closest friend on the team.

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“He’s definitely the guy who can lighten the mood whenever things get too too serious,” said Layman, who might have been the happiest I’ve ever seen him when I told him I was writing about Terrell. “It is nice to have a kid that can make you laugh, really whenever.”

That wasn’t, of course, why Terrell was brought to College Park. The Indianapolis native, who played alongside Purdue point guard P.J. Thompson in high school, had decided not to pursue a college basketball career. He was set to follow his parents, older brothers and cousins to Indiana, where he planned on rooting for his favorite basketball team from the stands.

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Terrell went to freshman orientation in Bloomington, was assigned a roommate, went on his senior class trip, and then learned in April that Maryland was looking for a preferred walk-on. His high school coach was close with one of Maryland’s assistants. One of his best friends asked, “Do you really see yourself sitting in the student section?” A few months later, Terrell showed up at Maryland, the last man on a bench stocked with professional talent.

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Some might have chosen to blend into the background. Terrell, instead, found himself conducting pregame ceremonies to bless his good-luck towel, which you’ve probably seen him clutching and waving from the sidelines.

“He always has a towel around his neck,” Trimble observed, “even though he doesn’t sweat a lot.”

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From his courtside perch, Terrell also screams out support, spots celebrities, talks strategy, and helps preside over what the team refers to as “the South Pole.” That’s the end of the bench, which starters are encouraged to visit for handshakes and encouragement.

“I went down there twice,” Trimble recalled. “It’s very cold down there. Everyone’s in their warm-ups.”

This is probably the time for a belated public-service announcement: If you believe these Terps have so maddeningly underachieved that one-liners and smiles should be banned and amusing tales from the end of the bench spiked, this is not the item for you. If you think five losses and a No. 10 ranking means this is not the right time for a few jokes, you might be happier reading something else. On the other hand, perhaps you’re curious what happens when Maryland’s last man spots John Wall inside Xfinity Center during halftime warm-ups.

“I’m about to butter this,” Terrell promised Wall. “Didn’t make the shot.”

Or what happens when a walk-on launches a shot in the final moments of a Thanksgiving weekend blowout to put his team up by 25.

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“I describe it as a game-winner,” Terrell said. “I went wild after I hit it. I mean, I’m not gonna sit there and act as if I’ve done it before, because I haven’t.”

When Terrell goes with Trimble to Maryland women’s games, he ducks out of the photos that fans are taking with his more famous teammate. When he goes with Trimble to the student center, he grabs a table while kids flock around the future pro. When the Terps take the floor before games, Terrell rebounds and feeds Layman, “which I just can’t stand,” he said, “because I’m trying to get my points-per-warm-up up.”

On a few rare occasions, Coach Mark Turgeon will motion Terrell into the game. That’s when he hands off his towel to Layman — who puts it around his own neck — while delivering a message to the bench: “Get the umbrellas out, because it’s really about to start pouring.”

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It’s happened a team-low seven times thus far, for a team-low 12 minutes. You can imagine the emotions involved.

“I’m the only kid who starts getting nervous when we’re up 25, because that’s when Andy comes in,” Terrell said, before reconsidering. “I wouldn’t say I’m nervous,” he assured me. “I’m more nervous for the other team. … I usually come in with a minute left, and maybe get one possession of glory. I’ve got to come out there, and I’ve got to pull it if I get a chance. There’s no warm-up. There’s no set-shot, 10-foot, work-on-the-rhythm form and stuff like that. It’s go-time.”

Terrell took a second shot this season, a miss against Rutgers he blamed on a lopsided basketball. But even if he doesn’t get another minute or take another shot, his status on this team appears to be safe. Diamond Stone arrived at Maryland amid much hype and excitement. Andrew Terrell also arrived at Maryland.