Prospect Watch: Trey Jenkins (2019)
Class of 2019 forward Trey Jenkins of Sikeston has been an unsung player in the Bulldogs’ run to the Class 4 Final Four this weekend.
The Bulldogs are loaded with perimeter talent, led by Saint Louis University recruit Fred Thatch. and a host of excellent guards such as Kevin Jones, Payton Howard and twins Parker and Owen Long.
Standing in the middle of it all is the 6’7″ Jenkins, a three-year varsity player who has improved with each season and has emerged as one of the state’s top bigs in the junior class.
While averaging close to a double-double, Jenkins has developed from a one-dimensional shot blocker into a fine all-around post player. As a freshman in 2016, Jenkins worked his way into the rotation for a Final Four team with his ability to rebound and block shots, which he did at a high rate.
“Blocking shots is just natural for me,” Jenkins said. “I have always been able to block shots.”
Over the past two seasons, Jenkins have developed into a force on the offensive end. He has a soft shooting touch around the basket along with the ability to make tough shots in traffic. He has provided the Bulldogs with some valuable offensive balance on offense to go along with all of their perimeter firepower. He is also an good athlete who can run the floor and keep up in the Bulldogs’ up-tempo, full-court pressure style of play.
“I’ve really improved on my shooting and my IQ of the game,” he said. “I have been putting in a lot of extra work on my offense. I did a lot of shooting in open gyms and it has paid off.”
Jenkins was able to develop his game last summer while playing with the Team Ramey 16U on the Adidas Gauntlet Circuit against some of the players in the country.
“Playing in the Gauntlet for Team Ramey really helped me improve as a player,” Jenkins said. “Coach (Terrell) Ramey works me just as hard as Coach (Greg) Hollifeld does at Sikeston,” Jenkins said. “I was a much better player when I got back to my high school team.”