Washington D.C. Gonzaga junior forward Kris Jenkins is one of the hottest prep players in the nation right now.
The 6-foot-6 Jenkins hit a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 27 points Saturday in a 76-74 victory over arch-rival DeMatha that came in front of Xavier coach Chris Mack.
He also hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer and went for 26 points against Seton Hall-bound Aquille Carr and Baltimore Patterson Jan. 16.
And on Jan. 15 at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield Mass., Jenkins went for 30 points and 11 rebounds and was named MVP as Gonzaga beat Ricardo Gathers and Riverside (La.), 77-65.
Nate Britt Sr., Jenkins’s coach with the DC Assault, said Jenkins now has offers from Xavier, Richmond and Seton Hall and interest from Clemson, Georgetown, Villanova, Pittsburgh and Boston College.
“It’s picking up some,” Britt sr. told SNY.tv. “It’s picked up considerably.”
Britt, whose own son is a 2013 point guard committed to North Carolina, says Jenkins has a huge upside.
“Kris can really be a very talented player because his ball IQ is off the charts for a guy his size,” Britt Sr. “His ball IQ is very good.
“And Kris can really, really shoot the ball. He’s really worked on that the last year and a half, two years. He’s been able to shoot it,but now I think he can really, really shoot it.
“We’ve still got to tighten up the body. I think if we tighten up the body, he can play anywhere in the country. But because it’s all about who you’re able to guard. You’re talking about putting him down in the four spot. He’s not big enough to guard big-time fours night in and night out and then if you put him out there on the wing spot, his lateral movement has to improve so he can stay in front of those really athletic wings.
“But he can rebound the basketball, he gets after it defensively, he’s tough. He can flat-out score it. He’s showing now that he can flat score it.”
Photo: Washington Post
