Oregon Point Guard to Play Wide Receiver

By D.J. Byrnes on April 23, 2014 at 9:31 am
3 Comments

Oregon's wide receiving corps needed some depth, and they seem to have found some in an unusual place: the men's basketball team.

From Sports Illustrated:

"I wanted to suit up for the Ducks one last time. Not a lot of people can say the Oregon Ducks offered them a football scholarship, " said Loyd, who has already graduated with one degree in applied economics, is working on a second in psychology and will start a masters program in the fall, likely with a focus on non-profit organizations. Basketball is his first and true love, and he anticipates going back to hoops next winter to train and hopefully play professionally. Still, he joked that it's easier to be tackled than re-learn how to tackle, which means receiver made more sense than cornerback this spring, though coaches presented him with both options.

Loyd instantly impressed new teammates with his speed and hands. Lowe said that if he didn't play football for four years, it wouldn't be pretty the first time he stepped on the field again. But Loyd's transition has been mostly seamless. He hasn't been scared by the tempo -- if anything, he admits he thought the Ducks might go a little faster -- partially because Oregon basketball coach Dana Altman used to preach that his team should mimic the football program and pay attention to the organized chaos that has won the Ducks so many games on the gridiron.

"This kid is basically on year two of his career," Sanchez said. "He didn't come out and start playing until a month into the season his senior year [of high school] ... He has a lot of gifts. At this point you've got to believe that if he invests his time, he's going to be successful."

I'm no fan of Oregon, but I will be a fan of Jonathan Lloyd; I have nothing but respect for two-sport athletes.


3 Comments
View 3 Comments