In the 1980s, Vinnie Johnson was usually the first guard off the bench for the NBA Champion Detroit Pistons and earned one of the coolest nicknames in sports for his ability to heat up a cold offense: "The Microwave." Since that name is already taken, and because this is 2022, it might be fitting to dub Chico State's first guard off the bench, Colby "The Air fryer" Orr.
Sunday, Orr cooked visiting Stanislaus State with a career-high 19 points, all in the game's final 16 minutes, to lead the Wildcats to a come-from-behind 61-55 victory and keep them undefeated at 10-0. It marked the fourth time in Chico State's last eight games that Orr came off the bench and scored in double figures. This marks the second time this season Orr has been named the Wildcat of the Week.
After missing his first three attempts of the game, Orr heated up, making 7 of his last 10 shots, including 4-of-5 threes, while the Wildcats were rallying from nine points down to win it. He also assisted on Isaiah Brooks' 3-pointer with 2:45 remaining that gave Chico State the lead for keeps.
Orr—whose previous career high was 16 points—canned 3-pointers on three consecutive Chico State possessions after they had fallen behind 35-26 with less than 16 minutes remaining. The junior transfer from Citrus Community College and De La Salle High School finished with 19 points, 2 assists and a steal in 28 minutes of action. He did not commit a turnover.
The win gave the Wildcats a 10-0 start for the second time in the history of their program and first time since the 1942-43 season. It also gave them a program best 11th consecutive CCAA regular-season win and longest winning streak in the Greg Clink era.
Orr and the Wildcats will attempt to keep their impressive streaks alive this week when they travel to take on Cal State East Bay Thursday night at 7:30 and Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday afternoon at 3. No fans will be permitted to Saturday's game based on CSUDH policy.
