Kris Jenkins: a Hero's Return Jack Styczynski
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From the SelectedWorks of Jack Styczynski December, 2016 Kris Jenkins: A hero's return Jack Styczynski Available at: https://works.bepress.com/jack_styczynski/35/ 18 BASKETBALL TIMES Cover Story Kris Jenkins hit one of the few buzzer-beaters in NCAA championship history, arguably topping those made by Vic Rouse, Michael Jordan, Lorenzo Charles and Keith Smart. Now he's back at Villanova for an encore senior season. Kris Jenkins: A hero’s return By Jack Styczynski Four-point-seven seconds. Villanova, time to go a Dereck Whittenburg air ball and sending coach Jim position to take the lead. And for good measure, Smart length of the court, with Arcidiacono, three seconds at Valvano into a frenzy (as opposed to ultra-composed followed up his biggest shot by intercepting Coleman’s midcourt, gives it to Jenkins, for the championship… Villanova coach Jay Wright, who merely mouthed the long inbounds pass, sealing the victory. Villanova! Phenomenal! The national champions, with word “bang” as Jenkins fired and then shrugged on the And in 2008, Mario Chalmers hit a game-tying Jenkins hitting the winner at the buzzer! way to a customary post-game handshake). 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds remaining to cap a nine- – Jim Nantz play-by-play, April 4, 2016 The other three legendary shots were jumpers but point Kansas comeback in the final two minutes and not buzzer beaters, and one of them was not even a force overtime with Memphis, where the Jayhawks Bobby Plump has nothing on Kris Jenkins. game winner. ultimately prevailed. Oh sure, his Indiana state championship-winning In 1982, Michael Jordan hit a clincher for North It was taken from nearly the same spot beyond shot for Milan High School in 1954 might have been as Carolina, which might be the best known of all the shots the arc as the Jenkins shot, but in context is probably dramatic as Jenkins’ was for Villanova last spring, but more similar to the crazy trey North it’s only as well known because the movie Hoosiers Carolina’s Marcus Paige hit last April to was loosely based on it some 32 years later. tie the game against Villanova moments Furthermore, if you ask anybody who made “It's been humbling, before, except there was no subsequent that shot, the answer is far more likely to be Jimmy game winner for the opponent, so Chitwood of Hickory High, the faux character and the whole experience. Chalmers gets the “hero” tag that Paige school names in the film. does not. Jenkins, by contrast, needs no stylized flick. His It’s definitely been Assuming that Jenkins is not shot made him a nationally recognized hero in real about to succeed Jordan as the greatest time and everyone knows his name. His life is forever something that I basketball player of all time, his destiny changed. is more likely to resemble that of Rouse, Of course, the full picture of how is still to be never imagined.” Charles, Smart or Chalmers, who could determined as Jenkins first plays out his senior season – Villanova’s all easily look back on that “one shining with the Wildcats in 2016-17. moment” as the most euphoric of their For a better idea, you might look back to five Kris Jenkins lives and bask in it eternally. NCAA championship game shots that basketball buffs Chalmers is still playing would probably agree are most comparable to that of professionally, and next to Jordan, has Jenkins, and what happened to the players who made simply because of who Jordan eventually became, but had the most post-collegiate success on the court. them. must also be considered the least dramatic due to the He won two NBA titles in Miami playing Of those, only two were buzzer beaters insofar relative eternity the opponent had to respond and what alongside LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and as the opponent had no real opportunity to respond, transpired in that span. although generally considered a role player, he has had although in neither instance did time expire with the Georgetown had time to get the ball upcourt and some more big moments and holds the Heat single- ball traveling toward the goal, as was the case with begin a set play before Fred Brown threw an inexplicable game records for steals (9) and three-point field goals Jenkins. (or possibly panicked) errant pass to James Worthy, made (10). Also unlike the Jenkins jumper, both were put- who was out of position on the perimeter and guarding He played for the Memphis Grizzlies last season backs of missed shots. no one. And after Worthy was fouled and missed two and tore his Achilles tendon and was rumored to be The first was by Vic Rouse in 1963, cleaning free throws, the Hoyas had another two seconds for close to signing a deal with an NBA team going into up a Les Hunter miss in overtime to give Loyola of a potential miracle win, but a Sleepy Floyd halfcourt this season. Chicago a victory over top-ranked Cincinnati. Adding heave sailed harmlessly into the hands of Sam Perkins. Coincidentally, Smart was hired as an assistant to the drama was that the Ramblers had rallied from In 1987, Indiana’s Keith Smart hit a baseline coach with the Grizzlies this summer and is also 15 points down in the second half to force the extra jumper with four seconds left to beat Syracuse. coming off a recovery after having been diagnosed session, culminating with a Jerry Harkness basket at What many don’t remember is that Smart also with a rare form of skin cancer on his cheek last year. the end of regulation. scored a basket on his team’s previous possession and Like Jenkins, he returned for his senior season after The second was by North Carolina State’s Lorenzo then quickly fouled a shaky free-throw shooter – Derrick becoming a hero, but Indiana lost to Richmond in Charles 20 years later against Houston, dunking home Coleman – whose front-end miss put the Hoosiers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with Smart BASKETBALL TIMES 19 missing a late shot that could have won the game. His State rivals. He would share his moment of glory when coach, obviously knowing what pushes the buttons of professional playing career consisted of two games folks inevitably asked, although always humbly, as he Jenkins and company. with the San Antonio Spurs, followed by several years often expressed surprise that he was still discussing “We definitely would like to be the first,” said bouncing between teams overseas and in American it decades later, including once with future president Jenkins shortly thereafter. minor leagues. Barack Obama when he was campaigning in 2008. Part No matter what happens, though, Jenkins will Since then, he rose from assistant to head coach of his email address was “buzzerbeater.” almost certainly be reminded of his big shot for the rest at his first three NBA stops in Cleveland, Golden State Rouse’s buzzer beater concluded his junior season. of his life. and Sacramento, and was most recently an assistant in He had a strong senior campaign but dislocated his “I think he is beginning to grasp that because it Miami before taking his current job. shoulder and Loyola fell to Michigan in the NCAA hasn’t stopped,” Wright said. “If I’m with somebody A few years ago when Indiana was again playing Tournament. and I say, ‘This is Kris Jenkins,’ everyone, their eyes Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament, Smart spoke to He was chosen by Cincinnati in the seventh round pop like, oh, they know who he is.” current Basketball Times contributor Mike Lopresti of the 1964 NBA draft, but his injury prompted doctors’ Even the coach himself seems a bit awestruck. about his championship clincher. “No matter what, for warnings not to play for two years, so he decided not to “I don’t know Rouse’s shot, but the others I the rest of my days, I’m know,” he said as a going to be attached to preface to defining the that moment,” he said. Jenkins clincher. “I think “I would still have it’s the best in the history been the same person, of college basketball.” but the attention you got But besides being for making a shot to win recognized much more a championship probably often and having the shot opened doors for you, brought up more times and then you had to show than he can estimate, what you’re capable of Jenkins insists not that doing.” much has changed for He told the him. Associated Press that He’s not getting all same week that he his meals for free, and thinks about the shot after an initial flurry pretty much every day. of watching his game “Probably every other day winner repeatedly, he something happens,” he stopped doing that. said. “I’ll go somewhere While it’s fine for to eat, or when we travel, Wright or anyone else to I check into the hotel and define the shot, Jenkins is somebody sees the name adamant that he does not tag on the bag and they’ll want the shot to define mention something about him. ‘The Shot’ then. Very “I have bigger seldom does a week go dreams and goals for by without something my life than just making that happens.” a shot in the national The other two heroes championship game,” he – Charles and Rouse – are said. “It was a big shot, both deceased. but that’s not what I want Charles was a bus to be the highlight of my driver when he was killed life.