Sophomore forward Joevan Catron, plucked from the mean streets of South Chicago and dropped into the green streets of Eugene, has been a great find for coaches Ernie Kent and Kenny Payne.
His work ethic on and off the court is unmatched in the program, and the fire and passion with which he plays inspires his teammates and helps set the tone for them – as well as the Mac Court faithful.
“He’s going to ignite this crowd and he’s going to ignite us with that energy that he brings to the floor,” said Kent after naming Catron as the final piece of the Ducks’ starting lineup this preseason. “That’s very important to me to have a guy to be able to do that.”
And he did early, leading the Ducks in rebounding four times and in scoring once during the preseason.
But he tore the plantar fascia ligament in his right foot in the Ducks’ last preseason game, sidelining him for the first six games of the Pac-10 schedule.
For a fiery competitor like Catron, that was a tough pill to swallow.
“I really wanted to be out there with the guys, just to help,” said Catron. “Any time a competitor like myself is sitting down watching their team play it’s just tough, because you want to play so bad and help your team out.”
But as much as he wanted to be out there to face the big men of Cal, Stanford, and Washington, he said that his time working out with the scout team while he recovered will help him out next time the Ducks face those teams.
“I got a chance to go through scout team and see what those guys run, the plays and everything, and run them myself, just to get an advantage for when I play against them,” he said.
Catron has been solid since returning for last week’s games, averaging 12.5 points and nearly three rebounds in the two games, but his foot is sore again from a workout earlier this week and he was “taking it easy” at practice Thursday. Catron insists he’ll be ready for the game Saturday. “I had a little setback but nothing major,” he said.

On the recruiting trail

As great as Catron might be when playing basketball for the Ducks, he may have eclipsed his on-court presence with his recruiting help this past summer.
Kent has said repeatedly this season that Catron is one of the main reasons that Oregon landed blue-chipper Michael Dunigan and two other solid recruits from the Chicago area this past recruiting season, giving the Ducks the No. 11 recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals.com.
“Those Chicago guys all know Joevan Catron and to see where he’s going with his body, his game, his success … Joevan was a walking advertisement to be able to go home and say ‘look at what goes on out there and look who I am’ and everything else,” said Kent.
Catron said that helping get those recruits out here helps show his love for the program, and the school.
“When I made my commitment here, I committed to Oregon,” he says with a grin. “It’s my school now.”
Another reason Catron was eager to get those recruits here to Eugene is to get them out of South Chicago, which he said is one of the main reasons he came to Oregon – to get out of Chicago.
“I just wanted to get some people from home out here with me, so they can get a chance to get out of Chicago, get over here on the West Coast, and get a chance to get out of that poverty type of living,” he said. “Out here, you don’t really have to worry about too much violence. It’s just a college town, there’s nothing really to get in trouble with.”
Catron said he credits where he is today, as an athlete and a man, with getting out of Chicago, at least for a while, and into Oregon basketball.
“I don’t think I’d be doing as good in basketball if I wasn’t here. Here it just gave me a chance to get away and become a man,” he said. “It’s exceeded all of my expectations, actually.”
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