Jason Jennings (born April 18, 1979) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. After attending college at

Arkansas State University Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osa ...

, Jennings was the 43rd pick of the 2002 NBA draft, selected by the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. He subsequently chose to play professionally in Europe. Jennings is 1 of 9 players selected in the 2002 NBA Draft that never played a game in the NBA.

College career

Jennings began his college career at the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

. The 7-foot, 250-pound center blocked 25 shots in his freshman year, scoring a personal-best 17 points against Bethune-Cookman. He started 17 of 31 games in his sophomore season, averaging 4.3 points on 56.7% shooting and 2.7 rebounds per game, and accumulating 36 blocked shots. Jennings scored a season-high 12 points against

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univer ...

. After his sophomore year, Jennings transferred to

Arkansas State Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, where he sat out 1999–2000 season as required by

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

transfer guidelines. Playing as a junior, he was named to the Second Team All-District 8 by the

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University ...

. Jennings set a school record with 102 blocks (3.5 blocks per game, good for 8th in the nation). He led his team in scoring, with 13.9 points per game and leading the team in 7 games, and rebounding, with 7.1 rebounds per game and team-best 12 times. Jennings achieved the first triple-double in school history, with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 11 blocks against Morris Brown College. In his senior season, Jennings averaged 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks (8th in nation) per game. He totaled 29 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks against

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He was selected to the All-Tournament team at the Outrigger Rainbow Classic after averaging 17.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.3 blocks against

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Boston College and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Career highlights

* Two-time All-Sun Belt Selection * First player in conference history to post two 100-block seasons * Scored in double figures in 48 of 59 games at Arkansas State * Second in school history in blocks (203) * Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year (2002)

References

External links

NBA.com 2002 Draft: player profile

ESPN Draft Tracker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Jason 1979 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in China Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Arkansas State Red Wolves men's basketball players Basketball players from Arkansas Centers (basketball) People from White County, Arkansas Portland Trail Blazers draft picks American men's basketball players Sina Lions (CBA) players