SBU's Jenkins is Naismith Award Finalist

St. Bonaventure senior Jessica Jenkins has been named as one of just 30 finalists for the Naismith Women's College Player of the Year, Atlanta Tipoff Club members announced on Wednesday.

The award, presented by AT&T, is given annually to the best player in Division I women's college basketball. Jenkins – who leads the Bonnies in scoring this year at 14.3 per game – is one of just five players on the list from non-BCS schools.

The Naismith recognition came just hours after Jenkins was named to the Atlantic 10 First Team and Academic All-Conference Team earlier on Wednesday. Jenkins is the only player from the A-10 who was named a finalist.

The Marion, Ohio, native currently owns the second-most career 3-pointers in the nation with 321, a total which ranks her 18th on the all-time NCAA list. In addition to her long-range shooting, Jenkins has established career highs in rebounds, field goals made and free throws made this season.

The 5-foot-8 guard has started 95 consecutive games – the eighth-longest streak among active players in the country – and her 93 3-pointers this season are 28 more than anyone in the A-10 and fifth-most in the nation. Additionally, the marketing major leads the league in free-throw shooting at 96.7 percent (59-61) and was a perfect 38-38 from the line in conference games.

A certified personal trainer, Jenkins leads the Brown and White in minutes played at 31.6, which is an average of nearly five minutes more than anyone else on the roster. A mainstay in the Bonaventure lineup since stepping foot on campus, Jenkins has played in all 129 games in her career. That total tops the A-10 among seniors, with redshirts excluded.

Jenkins broke the A-10 career 3-point record earlier this year (was 291), and has hit exactly eight 3's in a game this season three times. For her career, Jenkins has hit five or more 3-pointers in a contest 24 times – with 23 of those coming since the beginning of her sophomore year – representing the most of any player in the nation.

While a definite threat from beyond the arc, Jenkins has diversified her scoring game since her freshman year. Her percentage of total points scored which come from beyond the 3-point line has decreased every year since her initial campaign, and this season it's at an all-time low of 67 percent. However, Jenkins has still increased both her points per game average and 3-pointers per game average each season.

The Naismith Trophy will be awarded on April 1 at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Denver. More information will be given in the coming weeks, but fan voting will account for 25 percent of all final results – more than any other national college basketball award.

The news leader of the Twin Tiers ...
since 1947