Former SGTC Standout Jae Crowder Traded to Cleveland Cavaliers
![Boston Celtics' Jae Crowder (99) drivers to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving (2) and LeBron James (23) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 5, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)](https://www.southgatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Crowder_Celtics.jpg)
Former South Georgia Technical College Jets star and Boston Celtics forward Jae Crowder will join the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2017-2018 NBA season after a trade between the two teams was finalized recently. The former Jets standout will join stars like LeBron James, Kevin Love, Derrick Rose, and former Celtics teammate Isaiah Thomas on the court.
As a freshman, Crowder, a Villa Rica, Georgia native, played an integral part in the 2008-2009 Jets basketball team’s first ever NJCAA national tournament appearance. The Jets finished with a 21-7 overall record and Crowder was named the Georgia Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Year for the 2008-2009 season. Crowder averaged 17.0 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in the state tournament and the Jets posted a perfect 20-0 home record.
After his standout year at SGTC, Crowder signed with Howard College in Texas where he helped the team win their first ever NJCAA National Championship. Upon completion of his two years of eligibility, he transferred to Marquette University where he earned several more accolades and boosted the team to two consecutive Sweet Sixteen appearances in the NCAA’s March Madness tournament.
In a 2016 interview with the Lawrence Eagle Tribune, Crowder said his road to the NBA was a long one.
“It’s a long process,” Crowder told the Lawrence, Ga newspaper. “It’s all been worth it. You have to have a goal. I tried to live each day for that goal. It was a lot of sacrifice and a lot of patience. You have to sacrifice but it always pays off in the end.”
South Georgia Technical College and the Jets and Lady Jets basketball teams wish former Jet Jae Crowder continued success in his NBA career with Cleveland for the 2017-2018 season.
![Former SGTC Jet Jae Crowder (LEFT) throws up a layup during a regular season game against Albany Tech. Crowder was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal that included NBA superstars Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas.](https://i0.wp.com/southgatech.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Jae_Crowder-3-09.jpg?resize=350%2C389&ssl=1)
ABOVE: Former SGTC Jet Jae Crowder (LEFT) throws up a layup during a regular season game against Albany Tech. Crowder was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a deal that included NBA superstars Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas.