It happened at home against Washington State in a moment that felt normal yet was anything but.
Robert Johnson stole the ball and Freddie Jones streaked down the floor. The very second the ball left Johnson’s hand, the McArthur Court crowd went wild, as if Jones had already caught it and slammed it home — which he eventually did in typical thundering fashion.
That type of anticipation doesn’t just happen. But it did that night from a crowd grown accustomed to the mouth-gaping athleticism that Jones showcases.
The spectacular plays have always been there for Jones. He wowed crowds as a freshman. He did so as a sophomore. He really got them off their feet as a junior.

But there has always been that inconsistent label that has been placed on him — often by Jones himself. He once called his sophomore season “a waste.”
His senior campaign has been anything but wasted, and he’s helped lead his teammates to Oregon’s first outright league championship in 63 years.
“He’s definitely changed a lot,” senior Chris Christoffersen said. “He’s changed physically, but more so mentally. I can tell he’s willing to go for the full 40 minutes now. He’s got that edge in him where he knows nobody can stop him.”
Here’s just a few of the accomplishments of Jones’ career — a career that will no doubt go down as one of the best in Oregon history.

Jones is the only Duck to rank in the UO top-10 career list in eight different categories: points (sixth/1,568), field goals (seventh/526), three-point field goals (fifth/140), free throws (seventh/376), free throw percentage (seventh/.800), assists (third/353), steals (third/139) and blocked shots (fourth/73).
This season, Jones was selected to the All-Pac-10 first team after leading the Ducks in scoring with 18.5 points per game and finishing second on the team with 5.6 boards per game.
During his career, the Ducks are 33-10 when Jones scores 15 or more points.

— Jeff Smith