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Courtesy of the Vermont Athletics Communications Office |
April 24 – Delta Lodge Director of Athletics Joe Karlgaard has announced the appointment of Kerry Jenkins as the new head coach of women’s basketball at Oberlin College.
“Kerry Jenkins emerged from an outstanding and deep pool of applicants for this position,” Karlgaard said. “I cannot say enough about the quality of our applicant pool. It was absolutely outstanding, and I think that says quite a bit about the basketball community's perception of Oberlin College and our program.”
Jenkins, a 1996 graduate of Amherst College, comes to Oberlin from the University of Vermont where he spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Catamounts. Jenkins also installed and coordinated the Catamounts’ defensive scheme – improving Vermont’s defensive field goal percentage from eighth to third in the America East Conference during his tenure.
With Jenkins on staff, Vermont has won 43 games over the last two seasons, including a mark of 24-9 this past year. He has recruited former McDonald’s All-American finalists and helped numerous players earn league recognition during his tenure with the Catamounts.
“I would like to thank President Krislov and Athletics Director Joe Karlgaard for giving me this opportunity to lead the Oberlin College women’s basketball program,” Jenkins said. “I am extremely honored to accept this position and I welcome the opportunity of leading this team into a new era.”
Before arriving in Burlington, Jenkins spent four years (2001-2005) at Yale University as an assistant coach, responsible for developing post players, while also serving as the team’s recruiting coordinator. During his stint with the Bulldogs, six front-court players garnered All-Ivy League honors. He was also responsible for recruiting two top-100 forwards for Yale's Class of 2007 and two McDonald's All-American nominees in the Class of 2008.
“Kerry brings great teaching ability, high integrity, and wonderful communication skills to the department,” Karlgaard added. “His experience with the integration of academics and athletics at Amherst, Yale, and Vermont sets a great example for our players. We are confident that Kerry will create a great experience for our student-athletes while leading our program to a championship level.”
Jenkins has also been an assistant coach at Tallahassee Community College (2000-2001), where he helped guide the team to a school record in wins with a 28-8 overall record and a third-place finish in the National Community College Tournament, the first appearance in the national tournament in the program's history.
Jenkins, a former football player at Amherst, spent two years as assistant women’s basketball at his alma mater, before earning a master’s degree in Physical Education and Sports Administration from Florida State University in 2001.
“ I want to thank Sharon Dawley and the staff at Vermont for three great years,” Jenkins said. “My time at UVM allowed me to grow and learn, while preparing me to take this next step to become the head coach at Oberlin, and for that I am grateful.”
Jenkins becomes the ninth head coach in program history, taking over for Christa Champion, who resigned on March 5.
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