Photo courtesy of Oregon Tech Athletics
An SEC quarterback and a shared connection helped get Jamison Guerra another season of college basketball.
Entering his fifth year at Oregon Tech last fall, Guerra was set to use the last of his eligibility. But on Nov. 8–one week after the Hustlin’ Owls’ first game–a chain of events began that would lead to the extension of his college career.
That day, Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in federal court. Pavia, who began his college career at New Mexico Military Institute, argued that the NCAA’s rule counting seasons in junior college against an athlete’s four seasons of eligibility unfairly limited his ability to profit from his name, image and likeness.
Pavia’s eligibility would have been exhausted following the 2024 season. Instead, a judge issued a preliminary injunction on Dec. 18 mandating that the NCAA allow Pavia to play in 2025. Five days later, the NCAA issued a waiver granting all athletes in situations like Pavia’s additional eligibility.
The waiver allows athletes who spent at least one season at a non-NCAA school and would have used the last of their eligibility during the 2024-25 academic year to compete for a Division I school in 2025-26. Crucially, the waiver includes NAIA athletes as well as JUCO athletes (even though Pavia’s lawsuit only concerned eligibility for the latter group).
Suddenly, another season of college basketball was on the table for Guerra. Enter Idaho State head coach Ryan Looney. Looney knew well how much talent the NCAA waiver would make available; he was head coach at Eastern Oregon from 2004-2009.
“I think I have a good feel for the fact that players that have been really good at that level can transition nicely to what we do in the Big Sky [Conference],” Looney said.
Guerra’s resume speaks for itself. He was an NAIA All-American and two-time all-Cascade Conference selection at Oregon Tech and finished third in program history with 660 assists. Looney said Guerra’s experience (he played in 132 games and started 98 at OIT) and ability to take care of the ball (he had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.3 over his last two seasons as a Hustlin’ Owl) made him an attractive recruit.
“We just wanted an older guy that had experience playing college basketball, someone that has done a really good job assisting and not turning it over,” Looney said. “I think Jamison has demonstrated the ability to do that his entire college career.”
Looney reached out to Oregon Tech head coach Justin Parnell to express his interest in Guerra soon after the NCAA issued the waiver. Guerra didn’t begin actively pursuing recruitment until OIT’s season ended in March, but Idaho State stood out quickly.
“We had sent my film out to a few different schools,” Guerra said. “Idaho State was really the one that was clear-cut [in saying] they really wanted me, and that was a big thing for me.”
As Guerra and Looney got to know each other better, they discovered that their common connections were stronger than they had realized.
Looney played at Eastern Oregon from 1996-1998, graduating the year before Guerra’s mother, Teresa Guerra, arrived on campus to play for the Mountaineers. Jamison was born in La Grande in June 2002, less than two years before Looney returned. Additionally, the EOU athletic director who hired Looney was current Cascade Conference Commissioner Rob Cashell, with whom Guerra has worked closely this year as chair of the Cascade Conference Association of Student Athletes and the conference’s representative to the NAIA-ASA.
“I’ve had some good conversations with him about [Looney’s time at Eastern Oregon],” Guerra said.
Guerra joins an Idaho State program coming off its best season since the 2015-16 campaign. The Bengals finished 15-15 overall and 10-8 in Big Sky play, earning the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament before losing in the third round to No. 5 seed Montana State. Idaho State last made the NCAA Tournament in 1987.
Guerra could be competing for the starting job at point guard this year; incumbent Dylan Darling, who won Big Sky MVP honors after averaging 23.2 points and 5.9 assists in conference play, entered the transfer portal on April 7. Darling has reportedly been in contact with multiple high-major programs, although Looney said he is also considering returning to Idaho State.
For now, Guerra is happy to have a chance to play at the level he used to dream of reaching.
“[Playing in Division I] has been a goal of mine for pretty much all my life,” Guerra said. “I just feel overwhelmed with how thankful I am for everything that’s gotten me to this point.”
Guerra won’t be the first player to start his college career at Oregon Tech and finish at a Division I school. Most recently, Bobby Hunter won NAIA Division II All-American honors as a redshirt freshman on the Hustlin’ Owls 2012 national championship team before spending his last two seasons at Illinois State. Guerra will, however, be the first boys basketball player in Sherwood High School’s 55-year history to suit up for a Division I program, which he said is “pretty cool.”
“Hopefully I won’t be the last,” Guerra said.
Both Parnell and Looney are eager to watch Guerra’s journey continue in Pocatello.
“I’m just extremely happy that his career is not over and he’s going to get his graduate school paid for,” Parnell said. “Just pretty awesome.”
“Good player, even better kid,” Looney said. “We’re excited to have him.”
Guerra will graduate from Oregon Tech in June with a Bachelor of Science in applied psychology. He intends to pursue a master’s degree in counseling at Idaho State and aspires to become a clinical sports psychologist. For the second year of his degree program, he plans to join Looney’s staff as a graduate assistant.
“Coaching is definitely something that I’ve been interested in for a long time,” Guerra said. “My mom coached college and high school basketball in my life, so I’ve kind of seen it up close and the tools it takes and the rewards that it brings.”
He also hasn’t ruled out playing professionally–which should only become more attainable with Division I credentials.
“As of right now, I would like to just get my master’s finished up, and that’s kind of my priority,” Guerra said. “We’ll kind of see after this season how my body’s holding up and how I’m feeling about continuing my career, but in the past I’ve said that you’ll have to drag me off the basketball court for me to be done, so that’s where my head’s at right now.”
A world of opportunity, now opening up. A dream he thought was lost, now coming true.
“It’s still surreal,” Guerra said. “I don’t think it’ll set in until I actually step foot on campus.”
