Former Wildcat Jay Returns to Fulfill College Graduation Promise

5/10/2023 3:06:00 PM

By: Chris Myers

FORT VALLEY, Ga. – Certain pursuits are well worth the time and effort put into them to see them come to fruition. After 15 months away, Fort Valley State's former men's basketball player Ebon Jay, will be smiling this Saturday as he walks across the Wildcat Stadium stage as a new college graduate.

Jay, the current Wildcat student-athletes and all the FVSU seniors graduating will don their caps and gowns in the Saturday, May 13, graduation ceremony on the field turf surface of Wildcat Stadium starting at 9:30 a.m.

"I will have a big smile (on my face) with 20 people coming to support me," smiles Jay as he explains. "It is hard to come back from a year off. No one can get your degree but you."

Following his more than a calendar year away from 'The Valley,' Jay from Roxboro, N.C., returned to the FVSU campus this past fall to complete the final academic year of his goal of earning his degree.

"I made promises to people (he would get his degree) and I planned on keeping my end of the bargain," said the upcoming FVSU graduate. "I am one when I start something I have to finish it from something simple as doing a puzzle to now graduating from college."

The former basketball forward's road, leading up to this Saturday, was more than six years in the making. The wheels being set in motion during his final two years in high school.

After being one of the state of North Carolina's top players through his junior year, Jay battled through injuries his final high school year and he saw many of his top college landing spots dry up. The 6-6 inside player decided to head to the Midwest and start his collegiate career at Northwest Kansas Tech in the fall of 2017.

"It was my first time on a plane when I flew to Kansas as everyone (of his family members) was crying to see me go," added Jay.

Following the next two seasons at NW Kansas Tech, former FVSU Head Men's Basketball Coach Mark Sherrill started recruiting Jay to become a Wildcat. He took Sherrill up on the offer and returned closer to home at FVSU.

During the 2019-20 season, Jay saw action in all 29 FVSU games along the team's frontline. He connected on 20 of his 39 attempts from the field for a 51.3% shooting percentage. On the year, Ebon averaged 2.0 points and 2.2 rebounds per night with five assists, eight blocks and two steals. Jay posted his top production night against NCAA playoff bound Miles College with seven points and five rebounds.

Heading into the 2020-21 campaign, Jay was projected to be one of the centerpieces of the team. Jay helped as one of the leaders during the Wildcats fall practices, but he and his teammates found out in January the FVSU coaching staff decided to opt out of the season and not play in the COVID shortened schedule.

With basketball no longer on his plate for the first time since he picked up a ball, Jay had adjustments to make as a regular student.

"When I stopped playing basketball, it finally registered I didn't know what to do," said Jay.

After the 2021 spring semester ended, Jay went north to Massachusetts where he joined his older brother's business. He spent the next year working for his brother and was able to travel most of the country. Ebon was good at this new life direction, and one of his former Wildcat teammates, Levi Griffin, was his assistant manager and the two worked closely together.

Ultimately, Jay knew for him to get where he wanted to be career-wise and keep those important family promises, he needed to finish his degree. Ebon then returned for his final two semesters this past fall.

"It was hard to come back from the year off," admitted Jay. "It created discipline (in me) to not only start again, but also to finish even if it was not something I wanted (or had the drive) to do."

Jay finishing his Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication and Media Studies was extremely important. He wanted to earn his degree for various reasons, including an important family milestone.

"My graduation is a big deal as I will be the first of my generation to graduate in my family," tells the soon-to-be graduate with a smile." I will feel super accomplished (after graduating) and feel like I can do anything."

Jay will be able to do anything he wants with his FVSU degree as he already has his plans in the works.

"I will own my own music and media management company. I will be in North Carolina first and then come down to Atlanta with the company," explained Jay.

Following his return to the east coast from his two-year stint in Kansas, Jay came to play basketball here at FVSU. However, the FVSU community will have a longer, lasting influence on him compared to the time he donned the Blue & Gold uniform on the court.

"A lot of the guys here (at FVSU) are still some of the closest friends I have," said Jay. "At FVSU, you meet people and want to keep them around as they are just good people. I developed and still have so many good relationships and I wouldn't change any of it."

In fact, Ebon may call upon some of his fellow Wildcats in the time to come to work for him. He has an agriculture grant to start a mushroom farm in the Durham, N.C., area where he received three acres from one side of his family and 11 acres from the other side of his family. He plans to start his upcoming farm on one acre and grow it from there and help to create jobs in agriculture in the process and potentially hire some fellow FVSU alums.

Jay has some sound advice to encourage those considering a return to college. "Everyone needs to make sure they have a goal in mind. Through this whole process (of his returning to campus), I learned you control what you can control. In the end, it is worth the effort to get the degree and feel the sense of accomplishment," expressed Jay.

In what started with an unexpected phone call from the former FVSU men's basketball coach, Jay will reap the fruits of the decision to come to the middle Georgia campus not just the first time, but now the second to finish what he started.

"I am grateful for the first and now the second chance I have had here (at FVSU). I may not have had the success in basketball I wanted , but my accomplishments and what I learned will take me far in my career," finished Jay.

Jay's perseverance and what he learned along the way at FVSU, will be another Wildcat success story we will continue to tell throughout history.

-Wildcats-

Print Friendly Version

FVSU Athletics

Scoreboard

Former Wildcat Jay Returns to Fulfill College Graduation Promise