Jay-R Strowbridge is laughing.
It is not a boisterous laughter so much as a quiet chuckle, as if even he can’t quite believe the story he is about to tell.
“Oh wow, yeah,” he says. “That far …”
Specifically, he has been asked to recall the details of his original commitment to Murray State, back when he was a senior at Sparkman High School in Huntsville, Ala. Sitting courtside on a folding chair in Matthew Knight Arena, his college career finally nearing its end, the moment understandably seems as distant as ever.
“That was my senior year,” he begins. “It was all my senior year.”
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Take a look at Strowbridge on the court, and it is difficult to pick up any signs of his wayward past. He has displayed a quiet confidence as Oregon’s third leading scorer (9.8 points per game), and his teammates speak glowingly of him.
“Jay-R’s been great,” senior forward Joevan Catron said. “The biggest surprise to me was his leadership. He came from day one; he let us know what he wanted to do.”
Head coach Dana Altman is unequivocal in his praise.
“He’s a wonderful teammate,” Altman said. “He’s all about the team. He doesn’t question anything, he just wants to play.”
“Just wants to play” about sums up a feeling Strowbridge has dealt with throughout his career. It has never been easy.
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It all began in 2005, and it was really no laughing matter. Strowbridge committed to Murray State in September of his senior year, largely because of head coach Mick Cronin. He felt comfortable with Cronin, and it didn’t hurt that he was born in Kentucky and was familiar with the area.
Fast forward to March of 2006. After a successful season, Cronin had become a hot name on the coaching circuit. When Bob Huggins decided to leave the University of Cincinnati and sign with Kansas State, Cronin was named as his permanent replacement. Strowbridge was stunned.
“Once he got the job opportunity there, I wanted to go to Cincinnati,” Strowbridge said. “But Murray State would not release me to Cincinnati or any school that they would be playing, so I started exploring my options.”
The overwhelming recruiting process began once again, and Strowbridge found himself in a whirlwind that he had never expected.
All the while, he still had to worry about being a senior in high school. Prom was fast approaching, as was graduation and the senior trip. Knowing that, Strowbridge kicked in high gear.
He went on visits with a few interested schools, but the University of Nebraska was what caught his eye.
“When I went there on a visit, they welcomed me with open arms,” Strowbridge said. “I love the tradition there, the fan support. It was really all about ‘Go Big Red.’”
He also wanted to be an Academic All-American, and knew that Nebraska had shown a specialty for producing them in recent years.
In the end, Strowbridge committed to head coach Barry Collier’s Nebraska program in May, and arrived on campus in June to start summer school.
Yet, the saga was not over. Far from it.
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Just two months after Strowbridge arrived on campus, Collier resigned to become Butler University’s athletic director. University of Texas El Paso coach Doc Sadler was hired to replace him, yet another coach Strowbridge had no prior experience with.
Looking back, he laughs again.
“That’s two coaching changes before I even really started my fall semester.”
He stuck it out for two years, becoming a solid contributor in the process. In his freshman season, he set a Nebraska freshman record for three-point percentage (46 percent) and started 19 games. The following year, he was part of a 20-win team that gave national champion Kansas a run for its money in the Big 12 Tournament.
Still, by 2008 Strowbridge felt it was time to move on. He didn’t feel entirely comfortable with his role in Nebraska, and a family situation was calling back home in Alabama. His next destination was Jacksonville State.
Assistant coach Antoine Pettway played a significant role in Strowbridge’s signing with the Gamecocks. He would need to sit out a year, but it seemed worth it. Until, of course, Pettway left to become an assistant at the University of Alabama just weeks after Strowbridge signed.
At this point, he had little choice but to simply wait things out and make the best of it. When he was finally allowed to play in the 2009-10 season, he averaged 12.5 points and had eleven double-digit scoring games. He finished his undergraduate degree in Jacksonville, but still had one year of eligibility remaining.
Originally, he intended to use it at Arkansas State. The program quickly fell under NCAA scrutiny, however, and he was there for only two weeks. It was then that Oregon finally came into the picture.
Strowbridge thought of the Ducks and remembered how loyal the fan base was. They traveled well, and even found a way to Nebraska when Oregon played the Cornhuskers in 2007. He knew they would come out to support him. The Nike connection didn’t hurt either.
It seemed a perfect place to end the odyssey.
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Here he is now, looking out at the elaborate design of Kilkenny Floor. There are just a few games left in his career, but the future remains bright. He might play professionally, or perhaps stay in Eugene to continue his education.
“I’m just taking it daily and enjoying the moment,” he says.
The road ahead has never been paved for Jay-R Strowbridge. Somehow, he always seems to find his way home.
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