5/8/2020 football Edit

Catching up with ... Justin Jennings

Tom Dienhart • BoilerUpload

GoldandBlack.com, Associate Editor

During his final three seasons on campus, Justin Jennings' teams went 80-18 overall and 44-10 in the Big Ten with three league titles and two No. 1 NCAA seeds..

Few Purdue players enjoyed as much team success as Justin Jennings.

The 6-6 native of Grand Rapids, Mich., played in a golden era for Purdue basketball. Jennings arrived on campus in the fall of 1992 and went on to help the Boilermakers "threepeat" from 1993-94 as a sophomore to 1995-96 as a senior. During his final three seasons on campus, Jennings' team went 80-18 overall and 44-10 in the Big Ten.

Jennings played in 119 games at Purdue, averaging 5.3 points and 2.2 rebounds. He was a powerful athlete famous for his rim-rattling dunks. His best season came as a senior, when Jennings averaged 8.1 points and 2.9 rebounds for a league championship squad that went 26-6 overall and 15-3 in the Big Ten. Purdue earned a No. 1 seed the NCAA tourney, a feat Jennings also helped the Boilermakers achieve in 1993-94 when the program reached the Elite Eight with Glenn Robinson leading the way.

GoldandBlack.com caught up with Jennings.

GoldandBlack.com: Tell me about your matriculation to Purdue. Why did you chose the Boilermakers?

Jennings: I am a Michigan guy. But I wanted to go somewhere where it was a little bit away from home but still close enough where I could still be around family. So, that's kind of how I ended up at Purdue.

GoldandBlack.com: What were some of your other choices?

Jennings: Michigan State. Pretty much every school around the Big Ten. Some other larger schools like Arizona, too. When I went to Purdue, I just kind of fell in love with the atmosphere and some of the guys. It seemed like the right fit.

GoldandBlack.com: What are some of your better memories of playing?

Jennings: Just the camaraderie. Even last Sunday, I did a Zoom call with Cuonzo (Martin), Glenn (Robinson), Tim Ervin, Brandon Brantley, Kenny Williams, Roy Hairston … just the camaraderie and being together. I don't remember a lot of the memories on the court, but I remember a lot of the stuff that happened off the court. We still communicate. We text. We talk about life, supporting each other. It’s fun. We do a lot of communicating. I just pray for everybody to stay healthy through this pandemic and we can get on the other side and be able to see each other again.

GoldandBlack.com: What are your memories of Coach Keady?

Jennings: I saw Coach last year. When I was living in Michigan, and my daughter goes to Michigan State, so I saw him at a game there in East Lansing. They were honoring Coach Izzo, and Coach was there. We probably talk once or twice a year. It’s just a good opportunity for us. We would have seen him this summer at the alumni game if it wasn't for the COVID-19.

GoldandBlack.com: What did you learn from him?

Jennings: Everything. A lot of the things that I do now in the leadership areas. They are things that I've learned from Coach Keady. The family atmosphere, being able to communicate with people—how important that is. And a lot of the lessons I learned from him, we definitely use it right now.

GoldandBlack.com: I recall you making some thunderous dunks.

Jennings: With social media, you can’t forget that stuff. I think the other day, someone posted something. It’s always interesting.

GoldandBlack.com: What have you been doing professionally?

Jennings: I am finishing up my Ph.D. I am finishing my dissertation right now. I'll be done in December. After I graduated from Purdue, I played basketball a little bit and then I got into education. I have three master's degrees from Grand Valley State University and now I'm finishing up my doctorate.

GoldandBlack.com: Where did you play pro basketball?

Jennings: I played in the CBA with the Grand Rapids Hoops and the Quad City Thunder. I was at camp with the Dallas Mavericks for a little bit. I played a little bit overseas. I actually got injured with a couple back injuries and had surgery. So I had to stop playing.

GoldandBlack.com: What is your job?

Jennings: When I stopped playing basketball, I got into coaching. I coached back with my alma mater, and I got into education as a special-ed teacher. I taught special-ed and coached for a while. Then I became a dean of students, which basically does discipline. Then I became an assistant principal, then I became a principal. I was a turnaround principal for a while in Michigan. And then I became a special-ed director. I have a degree in that area. Then I became an assistant superintendent of curriculum. And then, about three years ago, I became the superintendent of schools in Michigan. And now I'm actually a CEO in Youngstown, Ohio. I am the basically the superintendent of a district. I don't work for a school board. The district has been taken over because of low test scores.

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Justin Jennings helped Gene Keady celebrate his 80th birthday with Chad Austin, Brandon Brantley and Roy Hairston.

GoldandBlack.com: You're there to get them in shape and compliance?

Jennings: Absolutely. That's how I use Coach Keady’s philosophy.

GoldandBlack.com: How many different schools did you work at in Michigan?

Jennings: I have worked in Grand Rapids, Holland, Muskegon, Ypsilanti—all over the state. As a turnaround principal, that was my role. It was never my role to stay somewhere for a long time. It was about getting in, trying to help the academics and build leadership to move on to the next job.

GoldandBlack.com: So, you really still are a turnaround guy?

Jennings: Correct. Instead of at a building level, it is on a district level.

GoldandBlack.com: How is your family?

Jennings: I am married. I have two children. My son is 28, and my daughter is 20. And I have a 3-year old grandson.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you still follow the team?

Jennnings: I do. I don't go to a whole lot of games. When they got down to East Lansing, I would always get to a game. This year, I was planning on getting down to a game at Ohio State because now I live in Cleveland but I work in Youngstown.

GoldandBlack.com: Do you stay in touch with Coach Painter?

Jennings: Yes. He was a senior when I was a freshman. Brandon Brantley played with me. He’s on the coaching staff. We do a lot of communication, birthdays, Christmas cards and gifts and shirts and things like that to the alumni. Coach Paint does a good job reaching out to the alumni to make sure we're still connected.

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