In the early 2010s, a basketball craze by the name Jelly Fam swept the nation. Combining the mixture of Isiah Thomas' touch around the rim and Michael Jordan's endless airtime, "the jelly" came alive on the courts of New York.
Back in Columbia, South Carolina, a young Robert McCray V and his friends watched Jelly Fam videos to and from games and school. McCray and company wanted to be a part of the craze and came up with their own gimmick.
Instead of Jelly, the term for the budding basketball stars of tomorrow was named "butter."
And from those backseat school bus conversations and YouTube videos began McCray's journey from watching highlight tapes, to making them each week for the Jacksonville University Dolphins.
"When I'm on the court, it's you versus me," McCray said. "And I have to win … When the lights come on in the game, it's just something that switches on."
McCray comes from the type of family where everyone is considered part of the McCray fold. With sports as a constant in his life, McCray found his level head and soft-spoken nature through his parent's teachings.
"We are all about loyalty," McCray said. "Words can't even describe it. My dad, what he has done for other people and me and my brothers and sisters, words can't describe it. That is why who I am who I am today."
Loyalty became the calling card for McCray upon the conclusion of the 2023-24 basketball season. After transferring to Duval County from Wake Forest, McCray burst onto the ASUN scene with 15 20-plus point showings. He also set an ASUN Tournament record for points during with 91. For his efforts, McCray was voted to the league's Third-Team after the year ended.
"It [was] a blessing because last year, nobody knew who I was," McCray said.
With his exposure, it could have been easy for McCray to pack his things and head back up the Power 4 ranks. But he didn't. He hardly even considered it.
"Those memories of the tournament made me come back to Jacksonville," McCray said. "I just never felt something like that before. The way we played, it was amazing. I felt like we could do it after that."
Not many outside of the JU could have predicted the meteoric rise of the Dolphins and their budding superstar. McCray and his team weren't supposed to be there. McCray was supposed to still be at Wake Forest. The Dolphins weren't supposed to upset anyone.
But they did and they continue to do so even now, picking off Virginia Tech on the road for Jacksonville's first win over an ACC foe in well over 30 years. Before the year, McCray was even named the ASUN Preseason Player of the Year.
From big dreams of looping layups and a brand built off of the term "butter," McCray has made his college basketball dreams come true. He owes part of that success to the school that found him in the transfer portal.
Now, it is McCray and Jacksonville versus the world. And he wouldn't have it any other way.
"Jacksonville is my second home. Jacksonville changed my life," McCray said. "I wanted to stay here. I feel like this is where I belong."
