Kris Jenkins (born November 20, 1993) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player who is a student athlete development assistant at
Villanova University
Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...
. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
Villanova Wildcats
The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East (NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (Football Championship Sub ...
and is best known for hitting the
buzzer-beating
In basketball and other such timed sports, a buzzer beater is a shot that is taken before the game clock of a quarter, a half (if the half is the second one, then, a game), or an overtime period expires but does not go in the basket until after t ...
three-point shot to win the
2016 NCAA championship game.
High school career
Jenkins attended
Gonzaga College High School
Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16 ...
. As a junior in 2011–12, he averaged 20.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. As a senior, he had 18.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' named him the 2012–13 Boys Basketball All-Met Player of the Year.
["Kris Jenkins"](_blank)
. villanova.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
College career
Jenkins played his entire college basketball career for the Villanova Wildcats. During his freshman season, the 2013–14 season, he averaged 4.1 points per game as a reserve player. The following season, he had 6.3 points per game.
As a junior, on March 1, 2016, Jenkins scored a career-high 31 points in a win over
DePaul. He averaged 19.7 points per game in the Big East Tournament and was named to the All-Tournament team.
In the
NCAA championship game on April 4, 2016 against
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, Jenkins hit the game-winning three-point shot as time expired.
In his junior season, Jenkins averaged 13.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent of his field-goal attempts and 38.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Jenkins was an Honorable Mention All-Big East selection as a senior. In his senior season, he posted averages of 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Jenkins shot 38.4 percent from the floor, 36.0 percent from behind the arc, and 86.2 percent from the foul line. In his Villanova career, Jenkins scored 1,383 points, 34th on the program's all-time list.
Professional career
Sioux Falls Skyforce (2017)
After going undrafted in the
2017 NBA draft
The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players.
...
, Jenkins joined the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...
for the
2017 NBA Summer League.
Jenkins was picked by the
Sioux Falls Skyforce
The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...
with the 14th pick in the
2017 NBA G League Draft. On December 16, 2017, Jenkins was waived by the Skyforce.
Yakima SunKings (2018)
On January 16, 2018, Jenkins signed with the
Yakima SunKings of the
North American Premier Basketball League (NAPB).
Eisbären Bremerhaven (2018–2019)
Kris Jenkins signed with the German club
Eisbären Bremerhaven
Eisbären Bremerhaven ( en, Polar Bears Bremerhaven) is a professional basketball club from Bremerhaven, Germany, that competes in the ProA. The team was established as the professional section of the club BSG Bremerhaven and played in the first- ...
on August 14, 2018.
Executive career
In February 2020, Jenkins was hired by
Villanova University
Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...
, his alma mater, as an assistant in the student athlete development field.
Personal life
Kris Jenkins grew up living with
Nate Britt
Nathaniel C. Britt II (born January 13, 1994) is an American former professional basketball player. He had a decorated college career at North Carolina where he won a national NCAA championship in 2017. Following this, Britt played five seasons ...
. The two were opponents in the
2016 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Game, as Britt played for the
Tar Heels
Tar Heel is a nickname applied to the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is also the nickname of the University of North Carolina athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans.
The origins of the Tar Heel nickname trace back to North Carolina's promi ...
.
The following year, when the Tar Heels made a second consecutive appearance in the
NCAA Tournament title game, Jenkins attended, supporting his adoptive brother's team, sitting right behind the Tar Heel bench and wearing a Carolina-branded T-shirt.
References
External links
Villanova Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenkins, Kris
1993 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Germany
American men's basketball players
Basketball players from Columbia, South Carolina
Eisbären Bremerhaven players
Gonzaga College High School alumni
Sioux Falls Skyforce players
Small forwards
Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players
21st-century African-American sportspeople