KGWN –Cheyenne, WY– Scottsbluff, NE News,Weather, SportsUW PG Jaydee Luster Earning Extra Degree for Fallen Friend

UW PG Jaydee Luster Earning Extra Degree for Fallen Friend

University of Wyoming senior point guard Jaydee Luster is having an incredible final year as a Cowboy.

After enduring a junior campaign which ended with a 10-21 record and a first-round exit in the Mountain West Tournament, the San Diego native has helped lead the new-look Cowboys to a 18-8 mark and into talks of post-season play with just four games to go.  But before Luster finally got a chance to experience success on the court, he had to deal with tragedy off it.

The shifty point guard is light on his feet, ranking fourth in the conference in assists per game but since his first day in Laramie, has played with a heavy heart.

"Everything I do is for him.  Basketball and life.  Every breath I take is for Todd," said Luster.

In the summer of 2008, just one month before he was to enroll at Wyoming, Luster lost his best friend.

Todd Doxey drowned while swimming with University of Oregon teammates in the McKenzie River in western Oregon.  Doxey was a redshirt freshman defensive back for the Ducks and Luster's best friend since age 7.

"It's a tradition for the players to jump off the bridge with intertubes into the river but when Todd jumped, the undercurrent pulled him under and he drowned," said Luster.

Since Doxey's death in July of 2008, Luster has been working to earn not one, but two degrees.  One for himself and one for Doxey who was never able to finish his college education.

"That's something that not a lot of people know.  But when I got here that's something that I decided I was going to do to honor Todd since he was never able to get a degree of his own."

"There's days when I don't want to do my homework or days where I want to be lazy but then I think of Todd and he drives me to be better everyday."

It's been a dream four years in the making for Luster who is scheduled to gradute this spring with a degree in both Social Science and Criminal Justice.

"Everything is for him, one of these degrees will be his and now I'm just one class away from making that happen."