Jordan Loera walks in her mother’s footsteps every day.
Her mother, Lori Carver Loera, played basketball at University of Oregon from 1983-84.
Jordan, a redshirt junior on the Oregon women’s basketball team, has a special connection with her mother. And a special relationship.

“It’s crazy — I love my mom to death,” Jordan said. “I feel like it’s an honor to play where she’s played; to kind of walk in her footsteps. It’s something that we carry in our family forever. It’s definitely an honor.”

Like Jordan, Lori also had knee injuries during her time on the court. Jordan missed the 2013-14 season after her injury, but returned to action on Nov. 28 for the first time in a year and a half.

During the 2012-13 season, which was ravaged by injuries, Jordan was just one of two players to start and play in all 32 games. Oregon finished 4-27 that season.

“One thing that all of us understood was: This is happening, no matter what,” Jordan said of the roster size. “We can’t fix it. We can only control what we can control.”

The leadership skills she learned that year have carried over to today, she said.

Lori met her husband Javier in summer league basketball, so the game has always been a part of their family tradition. They live in Moses Lake, Washington, a small town in central Washington.

“The kids were in the car seats at five or six in the morning,” Lori said. “They’ve grown up in the gym, just like my husband and I.”

When Jordan was playing regularly, Lori only missed two home games.

“It’s huge that my mom played in the same area that I am at and when she comes to visit, we still visit the same spots she used to visit,” Jordan said.

Jordan was a gymnast for 10 years and pitched for the local boy’s all-star baseball game until she was 12.

“She’s very well-rounded,” Lori said. “There’s more to her than the game of basketball.”

About two years ago, Jordan dug up some old photographs of Lori from her days at Oregon. By her reaction, Jordan said Lori likely had never seen them before.

They talk on the phone often, sharing stories of basketball, family and life.

Lori said one day Jordan might want to coach — to give back to the game.

“She has so much to give and so much to give back,” Lori said. “She’s been blessed. I tell my kids — all my kids — you need to give back. You’ve been given so much… Jordan’s like that.”
Head coach Kelly Graves, in his first season at Oregon, believes in what Jordan brings to the team.
“She’s going to be a calming presence on the court, defensively…I think Jordan is a great role model for anybody,” Graves said. “Any part of the game or life. She’s a good student and good person. She’s great in the community and treats people with respect.
“She’s the whole package.”
Lori said she’s told Jordan many stories about her time at Oregon, but made sure she understood how difficult playing collegiate basketball can be.

“I talked to her about playing at that level,” Lori said. “It’s tough, but you grow as a person. It’s a great journey. She’s living it.”