The stunning first-round upset of top-ranked and top-seeded Virginia in the NCAA Tournament two years ago put the UMBC men’s basketball program on the map in the United States. But the truth is, there are Retrievers who’ve been playing professionally around the world for years. 

In fact, three key players from the 2017 – 18 team—top scorer Jairus Lyles ’17, sociology; starting point guard Jourdan Grant ’18, media and communication studies; and K.J. Maura—are sharing their Retriever gifts in Germany, Latvia, and Portugal, respectively. 

For those who want to play basketball professionally beyond the boundaries of the NBA, going out of the country to make a career is a popular option. In fact, some make long careers out of it either in one place or in several. 

Cavell Johnson ’09, American studies, played just one season at UMBC, transferring in for the 2007 – 08 season, when the 6-foot-8-inch forward became extremely valuable during UMBC’s first-ever NCAA appearance for basketball. Though the team lost to Georgetown in the opening round, Johnson graduated into a professional career, hopscotching around the world to play for teams in Finland, Hungary, China, and Greece. 

Cavell Johnson ’09 dunks during a game.

While playing for the KW (KitchenerWaterloo) Titans, located about 75 minutes outside of Toronto, during their 2017 – 18 season, Johnson took over as coach. He’s now coach and general manager for the team, a part of the National Basketball League of Canada. 

“There’s so much love and support here; the people, you hear it all the time…the people in Canada are so nice,” Johnson says. “I get to impact lives now. That’s one of my favorite things I get to do.” 

Andrew Feeley ’06, sociology, who played at UMBC from 2001 to 2005, left the United States in the fall of 2006 and played in Japan for three years. After that came a year in France before going to Uruguay, where he’s played for the past eight years. Feeley is 6-foot-10-inches tall and loved being able to both play basketball and see the world. 

“I just did it because I had the opportunity, and I thought this is awesome,” he said in a recent interview. “Someone’s going to pay me to play basketball…and I’m going to travel the world on somebody else’s dime. If I had to do it all again, I’d do it the exact same way.” 

Feeley’s world may be changing now, though. The league he plays in suspended their season in late March and was scheduled to re-evaluate at the beginning of April. Plus, the 36-year-old got married last August and after a long career playing, the Philadelphia resident says he might like to go into college coaching. 

Other former Retrievers play basketball professionally overseas, as well, such as former student Will Wise in Latvia; Ryan Cook ’14, economics, in Kazakhstan; Quentin Jones ’15, business technology administration, in the Bahamas; and Will Darley ’19, environmental studies, in Malta, among others. 

In the end, these athletes are getting to fulfill their dreams—playing professional basketball.  

“We have been fortunate to have multiple guys go off and play professionally,” UMBC coach Ryan Odom says. “Those guys gain invaluable experience and have a chance to see the world and continue to play the game they love. And once their playing careers are over, they have a degree from UMBC that means a lot when they go enter the workforce.” 

— Jeff Seidel ’85

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Header image: K.J. Maura takes a shot against Virginia in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Photos courtesy of UMBC Athletics.

Jim Kruger ’13, political science, M.P.P. ’14, has a favorite spot near the public policy building. 

The bench, Kruger’s own donation to UMBC, is strategically positioned to give him a break on his path to and from the public policy building. It was a much-needed respite when he was a first-year political science student at the age of 60 and again as he earned a master’s in public policy a year later. 

“Students confuse me for the professor,” says Kruger, who visits the bench still as he pursues a doctorate in public policy at age 70. “They introduce themselves to me and are quite astonished when I sit next to them ready to learn just like them.” 

Jim and Kathy Kruger at a Hilltop Society dinner in 2018.

UMBC prides itself on providing flexibility and support for all students regardless of what age they begin their academic journey. In fact, UMBC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore partnered recently to become Maryland’s first “age-friendly” universities. They join 58 institutions worldwide that make up the Age-Friendly University Global Network, led by Dublin City University in Ireland. 

Universities earn the “age-friendly” designation by committing to 10 guiding principles related to opportunities and resources that support active and healthy aging from research to enrollment and staffing. The initiative is inspired by the World Health Organization’s age-friendly cities movement. It is an opportunity to provide the support needed to make learning, working, and innovation accessible through life’s continuum. 

“This is about mindset,” said UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski. “It is a challenge that we face in our society to rethink how we think about aging. The more we grapple with these challenges together, the more joy we will have in our societies.” 

Kruger’s daughters—Sarah Brandt ’97, biology, and M.A. ’08, education, and Megan Kruger ’97, biology, whose names are also listed on the bench—know it hasn’t always been an easy road for their father. 

“He has a lot of energy,” says Megan, who notes he starts each morning making sure his grandchildren are fed, dressed, and are on time for the bus. He then heads to UMBC where he has followed a rigorous course of study for the last 10 years. No excuses. Not even through prostate cancer. 

Slowing down after retirement was not his plan. In fact, he aims to finish a path he began in 1968, the year he originally entered college. The following year, he married and, shortly after, had his first child, Jim Kruger IV, followed by twins. College gave way to full-time work, and he worked as an industrial steam pipe fitter in Baltimore for 40 years. Regret is not in his vocabulary. 

Jim Kruger’s student experience, while at times difficult, was not that much different than that of younger students. Learning French was exasperating. Group work was awkward, especially when group partners had a different sense of timeliness. There was always new technology to learn. And health issues momentarily interrupted his course. 

But Kruger also found tremendous support. The Writing Center and online library were crucial to his success, he says. And, like many students, he was grateful for financial support. The Golden ID program, a state program that provides some financial support for people 60 and over, helped fund his undergraduate and graduate study and created a community. Another element of support for Kruger was his daughter-in-law Leslie Kruger, who has worked on campus for more than 12 years. 

Through it all, Kruger says he appreciated the support of his family and faculty mentors who were always accessible, especially, during cancer treatments. With more than 40 years invested in his education, he is excited to forge ahead. 

“He believes in finding your own path,” says his daughter Megan, “even if it changes many times.”

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All photos by Marlayna Demond ’11.

University of Maryland, Baltimore County junior Yaw Owusu-Boaitey, who was known for his dedication and beaming smile, died suddenly on May 20, 2020. Yaw was an aspiring physician, and his friends recall his passion for serving the student body and other classmates. Active all over UMBC and in his community, Yaw was devoted to serving in Student Government Association and other local government organizations and was a mentor to younger students. He also taught English to adult learners at the Esperanza Center in Baltimore. 

Sophomore Mei Zheng remembers approaching Yaw during her freshman year when she saw him with his friends hanging out on a hammock. “We just started talking about our aspirations. When someone approaches him, it instantly feels like he’s family. His personality was radiating with positivity,” she said. 

Despite his busy schedule, Yaw helped her study for with upper-level science courses and encouraged her before exams, His kindness was boundless, Zheng said. “I knew he was a really busy person with his research and extracurriculars, but he always took the time out of his day to help me. This one time in the summer, he took two or three hours out of his day to just help me through the process of how he studied.” 

Junior Max Mason also befriended Yaw his freshman year, when they were next-door neighbors in Susquehanna Hall. “Everyday Yaw would work hard, be it in class, in extracurriculars or motivating others to become involved in something bigger. It is very rare to see an individual so dedicated and driven in their work, yet so charismatic and fun to be around,” Mason said. 

Yaw’s experiences doing research took him all over the country including Colorado State’s Research Experience for Undergraduates and also to Harvard Medical School where he was a Summer Research Intern at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He was also a Meyerhoff Scholar. 

Candace Martinez-Doane, the Assistant Director of Leadership and Governance, recalled meeting Yaw when she first started at UMBC. “He was the kind of student, person and friend that people really value. I feel blessed to have been able to know him for even a brief time,” she said.

Yaw’s modesty impressed her as she watched him succeed both academically and socially, a rare combination. “Yaw was one of the most humble people I know, but he was probably the most deserving of praise and recognition. He had high expectations of himself, wanted to do his best and also was really a caring person who was trying to think of how he can help others,” Martinez-Doane said. “He was committed to being involved in his community through civic engagement and encouraging others to be involved through the political process.”

Junior Patrick Reid met Yaw through their mutual passion for politics and involvement with the UMBC College Democrats. One morning, Yaw and Patrick met to film a campaign for a political candidate. “There were supposed to be 10 people there to help, and it ended up being just me and Yaw,” Reid said. “It always struck me that he [had] that level of dedication and energy to get up at five in the morning. He was there because he wanted to be part of it.” 

Jodi Kelber-Kaye, the Associate Director of the Honors College, where Yaw was an active and engaged member, remembers his role as a quiet leader. “He was on his way to stardom. There’s something about him, about his graciousness and his quiet leadership. He was deeply appreciative, he’s definitely in my heart that way,” Kelber-Kaye said. 

Dr. Simon Stacey, the Director of the Honors College, echoed that sentiment. “[He was] so capable academically; one of those people who you might truthfully call brilliant,” he said. “He was an inspiration. He was the kind of person we will always need more of.”

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