David Jenkins Jr. - The Old Guard, The Gamer, and The Expiring Clock

The dichotomy of college basketball is what creates both compelling narratives and complex battles of style. In college, teams are given identities based off its program's history and its current coach's tendencies. Last night, two examples tipped off inside of Mackey Arena. Two teams defined by its head coaches, similar in offensive efficiency, but also antithesis to each other.

There's Iowa and Fran McCaffrey, with his frenetic press, and his beautiful chaos on offense. He wants his Hawkeyes to play fast, with energy, to be the aggressors. There's not much subtle about the way Iowa comes at you. They want to trap and force turnovers. They put up points. Defense, well, defense is good to spark the offense occasionally, but that's not their identity. They score to set up their press.

Matt Painter, he used to have an identity problem. He was a young coach taking over for a very old coach. A coach that he used to play for. He hit the jackpot early. The Baby Boilers, they were an identity, but it didn't prove sustaining, not at first. Painter needed to inflict his purpose, his lessons onto his teams. So he learned and got better, and here Purdue is now, beautiful intentions on offense. Its playbook is expansive, with plenty of shooting and sets, five families sprouting off into hundreds of variations. But one simple core truth, one tenet has remained the same for the last few seasons - Matt Painter wants to play inside out. That's their identity.

For one half, Purdue got to dictate how basketball was played. They went into halftime with a 38-21 lead. Teams often struggle to play someone else's game. Purdue has been particularly susceptible to it in their last few iterations. The North Texas game, the St. Peter's game, lesser teams enforcing their identity on the game and Purdue was unable to meet the moment, to transform or enforce its own will on the court.

Iowa forced Purdue to play Iowa's game in the second half. Iowa scored 52 points in the second half. But something happened through all that chaos and picked up pace, Purdue kept up. Through all the pressing, the three-point shooting, and the scoreless drought, Purdue hit back and then hit harder and won, convincingly, again.

Sometimes our identity is the exact thing we have to fight against. It's a cliché at this point, to mention all the things associated with Purdue.

Which is why when David Jenkins Jr. said to me before the season started, before he'd ever played in a Purdue jersey, that the goal for himself and this team was to win a National Championship, my first instinct was to think, 'Oh that's what players say.'

But cynics are never as clever as they think.

And there's not many players that have seen as much as David Jenkins Jr..

He has one of college basketballs longest, and most interesting journeys.

It's easy when diametrically opposed forces wear different jerseys. That competition makes sense. There's just one objective, a scoreboard to keep count, and officials to make sure rules are followed.

But what happens when opposing forces are on the same team? When the only thing keeping score is a clock. On one side, the numbers are flickering away, counting down, with the buzzer ready to sound - light ready to flash on the twilight of his career. And on the other, limitless youth, full seasons ahead of him.

Purdue is the #1 team in the country, 23-2, and its starting point guard is a true freshman, Braden Smith. He's the rising star, the freshman. Some high school coaches deemed him a basketball savant, but others hadn't even seen him play. He was barely inside Rivals top-200 players in the country. He's all of 6'0, maybe, barely 180 lbs., and 19 years old.

The future is his at Purdue, but after setting a career-high 24 points against Iowa, the now is his, too. He's started every game for Purdue.

David Jenkins Jr. has played for four different schools in five different seasons. He's the old guard. His ticks are running out of tocks. At 19, he was averaging over 16 points a game. He's 24 now.

They were, theoretically, competing for the starting point guard spot to start the season.

David Jenkins Jr. isn't much taller than Smith, but he's a thick 200 lbs. His father and him joke that he's got a football build, would have made a hell of a safety. David says it's the freshman fifteen they wanted him to put on when he first got to school. Then he just kept it.

Jenkins Jr.'s freshman season was a long time ago and a long way away. The year was 2017, the state was South Dakota. Braden Smith wouldn't have started high school by then. Jenkins Jr. is already averaging 16.1 points a game, playing 30 minutes, and leading the Jackrabbits to the NCAA Tournament.

If Jenkins freshman year was impressive, his sophomore year looked to be a dream. He was playing even more minutes, scoring 19.7 points a game, and knocking down three and a half threes a game on 45% three-point shooting.

It houses his favorite basketball memory, that sophomore year, one good enough for a movie.

"We were playing North Dakota State to win the regular season championship. It was funny. There was a kid at the line for North Dakota State, and at that time, it was in February. There was a kid who hasn't missed a free throw since like November. 3.6 seconds left, he misses it. My teammate gets the ball, outlets it to me, dribbles it twice to half court, launch it and made it."

The three-pointer won the game and all but wrapped up the Summit league for Jenkins and his Jackrabbit teammates. Jenkins braids were longer then, held together with a band around his head, but he looked much like he does now. Just over six foot, stocky, a compact build, broad shoulders, and a big smile. The braids bobbed as he took a long stride and sent the ball first off backboard and then through the net for the win. Then he disappeared into a throng of celebrating teammates.

A story book season if it ended there. It's to this day, one of Jenkins best memories. It was at the height of his basketball career. He was on top of the world in the middle of nowhere. A place he'd have been happy to finish his career.

But the season didn't end according to plan for Jenkins or his team.

"We were so good," he's telling me. "Like lost only like three games. We were so good. We had played Western Illinois, a week before the [conference] tournament, week or two, we beat em by forty. Played them again in the first round of the tournament and they beat us by a couple points. So it was heartbreaking."

Oh the ruinous nature of nostalgia. You'll forgive Jenkins if some of the details have altered slightly all these years later. South Dakota State had lost 7 games in the regular season that season, but just two in conference play. They were the best team in the Summit and they had beaten Western Illinois by 42 in their first game, and then again by 20 to end the season. South Dakota State's very next game was against the same Western Illinois team in the first round of the Summit League Tournament. They lost 79-76.

Jenkins didn't tell me this, but I'll tell you. In the loss, Jenkins put up 29 points.

Unbeknownst to Jenkins, his next game in the NIT against Texas would be the last time he would put on his South Dakota State jersey. He'd score 19.

Then his heart broke in a different way. He found out his coach, T.J. Otzelberger, would be taking the job at UNLV.

"Kind of heartbreaking, honestly, because I loved South Dakota State. I loved everything about it. I would have stayed there all my years," he's telling me but Otzelberger was a big reason for that love. "So you know I went and put my name in the portal and at first I was gonna just kind of decommit and then go right to UNLV. Well, man, I got every offer in the country. Like, literally."

The normally decisive sharp shooter then did something he rarely does on the court, he hesitated.

"Then I got confused. I'm like dang, I got Oregon calling me, Arizona. Purdue was actually recruiting me at the time. Brantley was recruiting me. That was when Carsen was getting ready to leave. And at that point, I was putting up 20 a game so it made sense."

But it wasn't to be. Jenkins thought he was going to go all the way west to Oregon. Was ready to commit, but he took one last visit to UNLV.

"I was just like, man this relationship is too personal. I love it."

David Jenkins Jr. and his family are from Tacoma, Washington, but Las Vegas has always been a home away from home. It is home for them now. They moved out there at the end of August 2022, but before that, his family was always taking trips to Las Vegas.

For David's mother and father, their life revolved around David's basketball. So much so, when they got married, it was in Vegas in the gardens behind Caesar's Palace, in between games at one of David's AAU tournaments when he was in middle school.

So following Otzelberger to UNLV seemed like another story book ending. Jenkins would have to sit out a year under the old transfer rules. He'd take a redshirt. Add in the year of prep school before South Dakota State and his third year of playing was his fifth year out of high school.

Again, Jenkins excelled on the court even with the competition ramping up. He averaged nearly 15 a game and shot over 40% from three.

Then it happened again. Otzelberger probably sounds like a familiar name because of his next stop after UNLV. In 2021-22, he left UNLV to take the Iowa State job. This time, Jenkins wouldn't be following his head coach.

Instead, an assistant coach of his would be taking a job at Utah. Jenkins would follow.

There's a saying Jenkins likes to use. It's almost Painter-like - both his consistency with it and its message.

"You don't lose, you learn."

I tell you that to tell you this. Utah did not go to plan for Jenkins. For the first time in his career, his minutes dipped under 20 a game after averaging around 30 minutes for his career at SDSU and UNLV.

His efficiency from three stayed the same but it was clear, Jenkins never clicked with first year coach, Craig Smith.

Despite starting the season hot, scoring in double-digits five of the first seven games of the season, Jenkins' minutes started dropping.

I talked to his father first about his time at Utah. The difficulties at Utah weren't about points or playing times. It was the uncertainty. He worried about his son, would have understood it if that was it for Jenkins. Ultimately, it was one of the proudest moments for Jenkins Sr.. Jenkins Jr. persevered and stayed when it would have been easy to walk away.

"I think the Utah experience was extremely tough," Jenkins Sr. told me. "I don't think he ever kind of knew where he sat with the coach."

But you don't lose, you learn. So when I'm asking Jenkins Jr. about Utah he's processing, pausing a little, and then he comes out the other side.

"You know, man, my years at UNLV I loved. I think that was more of a better [fit] for me off the court. But when I got to Utah - it was better for me as far as learning how to handle adversity."

"I just don't think it was the right fit for me at the end of the day," he continues. It turns out that a big reason why Craig Smith wanted David Jenkins Jr. was because he had to coach against him when he was the head coach at South Dakota.

And I'll let Jenkins describe how he did against the in-state rivals. "Okay, so [we're] rivals, he knows me. Put up 30 points on them every time. He knows. He was also the head coach at Utah State when I was at UNLV. Put up 34 points. He knows."

It's not a happy ending, but it's a story as old as time.

We want the people that hurt us most.

Tacoma, Washington is just twenty minutes south of Seattle. It's where Jenkins Jr. grew up, and where he first started playing basketball. His high school team was loaded his first couple years, and ranked nationally. Jenkins Jr. decided basketball was going to be his sport going into high school after flirting with baseball and football.

I ask his Dad what kind of kid David was. He takes a moment, he sucks in his breath, the words are hard to find. The two shared a name and usually a shadow. The little David was never far away from his dad growing up.

"He was interesting," he's telling me, laughing a little at the next bit. "He was all boy."

"He was too smart too early," Jenkins Sr. continues. "We weren't ever separated till he went to prep school. He picked up on shaking dudes hands at like four or five."

Jenkins Jr. brings a lot of joy to the Purdue basketball team. He's natural light and brevity for a program that's got some weight on their shoulders and a long history to talk about.

A lot of that it is confidence. Jenkins Jr. has been around a while, he's really old if you listen to Braden Smith after a game on the podium.

But if Jenkins is old, the guys he's learned from on the court are ancient. They're also a who's who of NBA names from the last couple decades. Seattle basketball is a family, and the family get together site is the Jamal Crawford Pro-Am. Something Jenkins has taken part in in the summers.

"I do that in the summer when I can," Jenkins is telling me. "Jamal Crawford is like a big brother to me. Brandon Roy, Isaiah Thomas. Those are all my guys. Nate Robinson, Avery Bradly is from Tacoma."

"When you can walk on and be able to go toe to toe with some of those guys and you know, compete, like it's second to none."

Perhaps it's here, shadowing his father or some of the greats from the Seattle basketball, that Jenkins first noticed the art of being the elder figure the way the five year old him noticed his father's hand grasping other men's hands. Maybe it's innate, but Jenkins no doubt picked something up from those he looked up to. Those who took care of him when he was in Braden Smith's shoes.

And here David Jenkins Jr. is at Purdue, the lone senior on the roster, a full college basketball career behind him with a starting guard still on his preamble ahead of him.

It could have been easy for this to go so wrong.

"It's not what I thought it would be," Braden Smith tells me about the first time he met David Jenkins. "I feel like you're a lot older than an 18 year old kid at the time. You're not gonna talk to them as much and go 'hey, how are you?' and go about your time. But he's different for sure and I think that's what makes us special. How he approaches everything. He's cool with everybody."

Braden Smith is coming off a new career-high in points, 24 of them, against Iowa. He couldn't look much different than Jenkins on the floor. Smith prods and pokes, explodes and decelerates on the court like a mostly in control drone. He's able to hover, start and stop, and get into tiny space. His greatest skill is anticipating defenses, but even he couldn't see this relationship flourishing the way it has.

"When you're coming in and you're battling with a freshman, I think you kinda think 'oh I deserve it.' But not him," Smith told me last week. "He helps me with everything."

It would seem that Purdue has always been hovering around Jenkins. Purdue Assistant Coach Paul Lusk coached against him when he was coaching Missouri State. He knew what David Jenkins Jr. was capable of.

Even with his shot not falling, Jenkins continued to impress his teammates and coaches. It was the first time in his career his always dependable jump shot wasn't so dependable.

"Sometimes for fifth year guys, in particular with a guy like that that's scored so many points - so now he comes in and has to adjust to a different role. He's done such a great job with that. He's a mentor to the younger guys, and he's a really good player," Paul Lusk is telling me.

"He's been through the up and downs of college basketball... He's been rock solid consistent with his attitude. We're so happy that he's producing and playing well now. That really helps our team and he deserves it. He's totally bought in and that's hard for a fifth-year guy sometimes. And we need him. We really need him to be a good player."

I can tell you, that Jenkins confidence never waivered. His minutes waivered early and his shots weren't falling, but he always felt he needed just one shot to go down to get hot.

Then Ohio State happened. Purdue was reeling, coming off its first loss to Rutgers at home and they were now in Columbus, struggling and falling behind the Buckeyes early. The shot clock was winding down.

Jenkins splashed a three against the buzzer. And then another. All in total, he hit three of them that game and Purdue pulled off the come from behind victory.

He found his shot. He's 13 of 33 now in Big Ten play after shooting just 5 of 22 in non-conference games.

Just how rare is it for someone that's accomplished all he has already, to accept a lesser role?

"It's very rare. It speaks to how he was raised and kind of guy he is... He's been great. He's an adult. He understands college basketball. He understands the ups and downs of life. He's been very mature. Just always upbeat and positive energy and that's hard when you're not getting the minutes sometimes. We're just thrilled to have him in our program," Paul Lusk tells me.

But to appreciate where Jenkins has ended up, we should look at how he got there.

It wasn't a quick process. It wasn't an easy decision. It was the longest time he'd spent in the portal in his career and he'd spent a lot of time in the portal before.

"I got in the portal right once the season was over. So March. I didn't commit till like maybe late June," Jenkins tells me.

"Which is hard trying to figure out what school is the right fit. Which coach is really gonna understand how I feel and felt like how I was did at Utah," he continues. "And I called around asking all types of coaches and friends I know about him [Painter]. Like how honest is he? Everybody says he's black and white."

And how fitting is it that the guy who chose to come to Purdue was convinced by the guy who chose to stay?

"But the real big reason why I committed here is because when I came and took my visit I remember being in a car with Brandon Newman. You know, his freshman year or whatever he averaged ten points a game and then he sat[last year]."

"I just say like, why'd you stay? Why didn't you transfer?" Jenkins says mentioning Brandon Newman's sophomore season where the guard collected 11 did not plays before reappearing in Painter's rotation late in the season.

"He[Newman] goes, 'No, man. He was honest with me.. and I wasn't doing the right things."

That open line of dialogue and communication was exactly what Jenkins was looking for after experiencing a similar stint the year prior.

"I was like, damn, that speaks volumes to me," Jenkins told me.

For as much as Jenkins destinations have changed course, this is the first time that he's had to seriously contemplate his future away from college basketball since committing to South Dakota. He's playing on borrowed time as is, thanks to an extra Covid year, and there's no guarantee his dream continues after this season of continuing to play basketball.

He had to get the last place right.

"I mean, yeah, it's kind of hard, you know, when you're this age to know what's next," Jenkins is telling me about acknowledging that the college ride ends here. "I kind of was telling Paint that the other day, but I kind of really try to stay in the moment and just really realize what's going on. And just kind of, you know, think about winning and competing for a Big 10 Championship, National Championship. But at the time, in the back of my head, still trying to realize, you know, like, what's next? You know? What am I gonna do next? But I really think staying in the moment and winning is going to help me with my next adventure."

So, how do we make peace with the future? How do we make the trajectory of the old match up with youth?

"Completely full circle," Jenkins tells me, solving the riddle. They might be on different points, but the shape is the same. It goes round and round, and their paths are now intwined, the same way Jenkins was as a freshman with his old guard.

"There was a kid that I had with me at South Dakota State, his name was Tevin King. All credit to him, I owe my career to him. He always looked out for me, kept me on track. Whether that's being on time. Whether it's going to class. Whether that's advice on the court, you know, and he was even taking a backseat to me at times. He couldn't shoot as much because you know, I was coming in shooting. And that never once distorted him or anything. And that's kind of how I remember and I try to be that to Braden and Fletch and even Brandon who's older. There's a lot of like guidance that I tried to give him, you know and try to be big brother because it's bigger than me, man."

"It's about the new generation and it's about the next Boilers and everybody else coming up. My time is gonna be done. You know, I want to see them succeed as much as I can. So being what I can towards them is everything."

Purdue's SID, Chris Forman, tells me I've got another minute or two before Jenkins needs to get back to practice. But what else can I ask Jenkins after he's said that?

It's supposed to get harder, the less time you have. In life, maybe, but definitely on the basketball court. That's not dichotomy so much as a revelation when you watch David Jenkins Jr. with the shot clocking going red.

It's certainly a metaphor, one that we're circling towards quickly. I asked Jenkins about this ability of his to make shots without any time left on the clock weeks before he's left me speechless about his completing the circle of his career.

"I don't know. It's just kind of a lot a locked in type of thing, and I've always been like a gamer, man. Honestly, ever since I was a kid. You know, I hit a game winning shot from half court when I was in South Dakota State. And I don't know, man. It just kind of always carried on and you know, it's kind of another thing, too, is like one of the stats that I've had during my whole career - I've been one of the top Iso[lation] players in the country. And that's all came from honestly, a lot of them came from shot clocks expiring and Paint knew that. That's why he recruited me."

We'll get back to that, the metaphor, but first I want to share just one more David Jenkins Jr. story.

It's the first week of November. I've just moved back to Lafayette from South Carolina. It's cold, but not too cold. It's my first week on the job full time. It's my first mid-week media scrum. Jenkins is my first interview. He's an unknown and I'm curious.

He's engaging, charismatic, funny - his dad describes it with a familiar and suiting cliche, David doesn't find the camera, the camera finds him.

Jenkins is telling me a lot of things, and he's being incredibly open. He's telling me about his relationship with Painter early on. He's talking about practice. Painter and him are talking, and Jenkins is struggling. It's a big move, there's a lot of plays, and he hasn't gotten comfortable yet.

He tells his coach, 'look Coach, I'm a gamer.'

Painter replies back, yeah, I know that, but you gotta show me something in practice, too.

It's a good story at the time, but now, it feels like Jenkins finally found the right Coach for his last chapter. It's a player who just wants to know where he stands and a Coach willing to meet him there.

And now, Purdue's 25 games into the season. David Jenkins Jr. next game for Purdue will be his 150th college basketball game. He's just 55 points away from 2,000 points scored in his career.

Can you hear it? The twilight of his career is here, the clock is ticking, and the buzzer is about to sound. He's never played less and the minutes have never meant more. The clock will be hitting zero soon and there won't be any rewinding it.

Thankfully, for Purdue, Jenkins does his best work with the clock expiring. Ask Ohio State, ask Michigan State, and ask his teammates and coaches who knew this was coming.

After all, he's a gamer, and because his father doesn't like it when you call him just a shooter, he's also a Maker.