Varina junior Tyrese Jenkins couldn't have asked for a better ending to his junior high school season. He currently holds an offer from Hampton University and Norfolk State University and after leading his team to a state title, Jenkins has only elevated his resume to college coaches. Jenkins said he felt his success would come from his team success and he felt pretty confident early on that the Blue Devils could make a deep run in the playoffs.
"I knew from the beginning we would have a team that could compete for a state title," Jenkins said. "Once we found out freshmen Jason Nelson and AJ Williams were coming in, plus Jordan Hernandez was coming back after leaving his sophomore year, I knew we were going to be loaded. Not a lot of people get that opportunity of winning a state championship so it’s a great feeling to have one of those in your career"
Jenkins was clutch for Varina, which won the Class 5 state championship. He scored 21 points in the state title game against Wakefield and in the final minute of the game blocked a shot, secured a key rebound and sank three free throws.
"At halftime me and my guys knew we had to pick it up and we’ve been in situations like that before so we just stayed calm and stuck to our game plan. We did make a small adjustment of our defense, we had to stop giving easy buckets and force jump shots & create easy buckets for us on the offensive end as well."
A forward who had the ability stretch the defense with his shooting ability, Jenkins averaged 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. He made 26 of 82 attempts from behind the 3-point line, a 32 percent average. He was named the Class 5 state player of the year. For his accomplishments, Jenkins was named VHSL 5A State Player of the year.
"Player of the year was a big accomplishment for me," Jenkins said. "I think I played my best in all of our big games and I did a great job of leading my team to a state title while showing consistency throughout the season. Winning (Player of the Year) as a junior and knowing I have an opportunity to get it again as a senior is really something to look forward to."
Jenkins says he will play for Team Richmond Garner Road during the upcoming AAU season. He currently has interest from UNCG, Radford, Quinnipiac, Lafayette, and Mount St Mary’s. At Varina, he has played more in the frontcourt for the good of the team but feels he has the skillset to play on the wing as well as in the middle something he play in college.
"I would most likely be the 2 or 3 but I consider myself more of a stretch 4 considering I can play inside-out. I feel like my confidence and aggression was a big improvement from last season and I had a better feel for the game.
While he continues to work on all parts of his game, Jenkins narrowed down a few key areas he wants to improve on the most.
"My improvements are mostly on the defensive side," he said. "Just getting better overall quickness so I can be able to defends guards at the next level and also getting stronger to be able to bang down low as well."
"I knew from the beginning we would have a team that could compete for a state title," Jenkins said. "Once we found out freshmen Jason Nelson and AJ Williams were coming in, plus Jordan Hernandez was coming back after leaving his sophomore year, I knew we were going to be loaded. Not a lot of people get that opportunity of winning a state championship so it’s a great feeling to have one of those in your career"
Jenkins was clutch for Varina, which won the Class 5 state championship. He scored 21 points in the state title game against Wakefield and in the final minute of the game blocked a shot, secured a key rebound and sank three free throws.
"At halftime me and my guys knew we had to pick it up and we’ve been in situations like that before so we just stayed calm and stuck to our game plan. We did make a small adjustment of our defense, we had to stop giving easy buckets and force jump shots & create easy buckets for us on the offensive end as well."
A forward who had the ability stretch the defense with his shooting ability, Jenkins averaged 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. He made 26 of 82 attempts from behind the 3-point line, a 32 percent average. He was named the Class 5 state player of the year. For his accomplishments, Jenkins was named VHSL 5A State Player of the year.
"Player of the year was a big accomplishment for me," Jenkins said. "I think I played my best in all of our big games and I did a great job of leading my team to a state title while showing consistency throughout the season. Winning (Player of the Year) as a junior and knowing I have an opportunity to get it again as a senior is really something to look forward to."
Jenkins says he will play for Team Richmond Garner Road during the upcoming AAU season. He currently has interest from UNCG, Radford, Quinnipiac, Lafayette, and Mount St Mary’s. At Varina, he has played more in the frontcourt for the good of the team but feels he has the skillset to play on the wing as well as in the middle something he play in college.
"I would most likely be the 2 or 3 but I consider myself more of a stretch 4 considering I can play inside-out. I feel like my confidence and aggression was a big improvement from last season and I had a better feel for the game.
While he continues to work on all parts of his game, Jenkins narrowed down a few key areas he wants to improve on the most.
"My improvements are mostly on the defensive side," he said. "Just getting better overall quickness so I can be able to defends guards at the next level and also getting stronger to be able to bang down low as well."
