Chico State Athletics

Without a basketball in his hands, Colby Orr found himself with hours of extra time on his hands instead. The Chico State point guard used it to start directing traffic someplace entirely different from a basketball court—the stock market.
 
"It's a different way to spend your time, but it actually ticks off a lot of the same boxes," Orr explained. "It's definitely, in a weird way, kind of competitive. You don't want to lose. If you're not quick enough you can get burned. And it's having something that you can enjoy that takes up time. You get a little of that competitiveness you miss from not having sports."
 
After transferring from Citrus Community College following his freshman season, Orr helped lead the Wildcats to a 23-7 record as the team's backup point guard in 2019–20. He shot 41 percent from 3-point range and dished out 50 assists.
 
"I really enjoyed my first year in the program. There are a lot of good players at junior college, but it's a different speed here," said Orr. "It's a family-oriented environment and everyone gets along, which is nice."
 
The Wildcats were in La Jolla for the opening round of the NCAA Championship Tournament when it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020–21 season was canceled as well.
 
"Obviously it sucked at the end, but it was out of our control," said Orr. "But we built great chemistry and I think that will carry over. We're bringing back almost everybody. I think everybody is just looking forward to getting back and playing with each other."
 
In the meantime, Orr teamed up with some old friends, and even some current teammates, to talk stocks.
 
"You go from playing all the time and basketball and school really dominating your time to just being in school, but you're not even physically in school," said Orr. "I had a lot of extra time on my hands and I wanted to make the most of it so I starting talking to friends and learning from them."
 
During the summer, Orr woke up for the opening of the stock market, at 6:30 a.m., and stayed on until the 1 p.m. closing bell every Monday through Friday.
 
Since school resumed, Orr spends less time on the stock market, but he hasn't cut back on communicating with friends. He speaks with teammates daily and even chats with former Wildcat Justin Argenal at least once a week.
 
Argenal became the head coach at De La Salle High School just before Orr's senior season, and eventually helped Orr choose Chico State.
 
"We talk about playing for Coach Clink and the town of Chico," said Orr. "I think he's the best high school basketball coach in Northern California."
 
Orr is currently waiting to hear back on a number of internship opportunities he applied for this fall. He has three semesters remaining in his Business degree (emphasis in finance) and plans to add to the formidable stack of academic honors he has already received. The two-time California Collegiate Athletic Association All-Academic Award winner also earned the 2019–20 Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award and 2019–20 National Basketball Coaches Association Honors Court honors.

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