Jordan Kent the athlete took a huge step toward improving to Jordan Kent the basketball player Monday.
More known for his athleticism and accomplishments in track and field, Kent played the best game of his Oregon basketball career to help the Ducks seal a 79-75 win against New Mexico at McArthur Court.
The redshirt sophomore scored 14 points and swiped three steals while knocking down 6 of 8 field-goal attempts in 20 minutes.
The majority of Kent’s prior contributions to the team came at the defensive end. That changed Monday when the 6-foot-5 swingman converted on several fastbreak layins and drained a big three-pointer with the Ducks down by six midway through the first half.
“(Kent) had a breakout game,” sophomore point guard Aaron Brooks said.
While Kent did many things well, one play stood out above all the rest.
With less than 12 minutes remaining in the second half, Kent, who was isolated on the left wing against Lobo forward Sean Phaler, drove past the lanky freshman and sent the crowd into an uproar with a thunderous, one-handed dunk.
Kent said the play — which is called “21 rip” — was designed to isolate a slower defender on the wing.
“I put a move on him, and he bit more than I thought he did,” Kent said. “I just figured I’d go to the hole hard. It just kind of opened up really big.”
The move impressed one particular teammate, who teased Kent after the game.
“It really surprised me,” Brooks joked. “I didn’t know he could dunk.”
After excelling for the Oregon track and field team in 2003, Kent is still playing catch-up to the rest of his basketball teammates in terms of technique and offensive capability. The Eugene native redshirted from track in 2004 to focus on basketball. After shooting just 30 percent from the floor as a freshman, Kent said things are coming easier to him after months of hard work.
“I’m a lot more comfortable,” Kent said. “Things just seem to be really slowing down for me. I’m having a lot more fun out there, but that’s due to all the work I put in during the spring and summer. It’s still not there yet, but tonight definitely helped.”
Kent’s father, Oregon head coach Ernie Kent, said he was impressed with his son’s ability to shoot the basketball while maintaining his signature defensive pressure.
“I thought Jordan brought tremendous energy to the floor,” Ernie Kent said. “Maybe this is an opportunity for him to gain some confidence and move forward.”
After eclipsing his previous career high of nine points, Kent said he knows he’s more than just an athlete.
“I don’t mind being a basketball player that is an athlete,” Kent said. “Hopefully, I can get that label as a basketball player, but it’s not important to me. I know what I bring to the game.”

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