Amiya Jenkins has the length and athleticism to be a lockdown defender. (John Herndon Photo)
She’s a top 100 player in the ESPN.com ranking who has helped her team win two regional championships. She signed with Kentucky in November but also had offers from Tennessee, Rutgers, Penn State, Virginia Tech, and others. She’s a tenacious defender, solid rebounder, and efficient scorer who actually loves seeing a teammate score more than she does scoring herself.
But 5-10 guard Amiya Jenkins of Anderson County does have a weakness. She won’ talk or brag on herself.
“No, I don’t do that. Never have,” said Jenkins.
She is averaging 17.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game this year and has scored over 1,300 points the last three seasons at Anderson. This year she’s shooting 50 percent from the field and 73 percent at the foul line. She also pulls off 5.2 rebounds per game and is a lockdown defender.
Jenkins seldom shows emotion on the court. She says that is how she’s always been.
“I just don’t like a lot of attention,” Jenkins said. “I do get frustrated but I try not to show it. Not all games go our way, so that does get to me. I do get frustrated at myself a lot but you have got to have the next play mentality. I try to be a good teammate to everybody.”
Jenkins admits she might not realize how talented others believe she is.
“Everybody has an opinion, I guess. I just play basketball. I train and work,” the UK signee said. “I can remember when I couldn’t do all the things I do now. I feel like I have got better every year. Personally, I don’t think I was that good a few years ago.”
Mercer County junior Timberlynn Yeast, who has 15 Division I offers, knows Jenkins is the “real deal” and has always been a special player.
“She is really long and athletic and can create a lot of chaos on defense,” Yeast said. “She can also get to the basket on offense. Nobody can guard her. She can always get to the rim. I love watching her play.”
Kentucky fans will get a chance to see all she can do the next four years — and there was one main reason she picked the Cats.
“More than anything, I just wanted to stay close to home. Going out and visiting other places, it just didn’t feel right to me to be so far away from home,” Jenkins said. “The (Kentucky) coaches and players made me feel so welcome. I just felt it was the place for me. I just fit.”
Jenkins believes UK coach Kyra Elzy’s up-tempo, competitive style will suit her and the more physical play in the Southeastern Conference is something she likes.
“It’s hard to be physical in high school when fouls get called every second. You can only do so much and not let it bother you,” Jenkins said.
She credits Anderson coach Clay Birdwhistell for the push to make her excel defensively and learn to pass properly.
“I don’t like to lose or have anybody score on me,” Jenkins said. “He makes me work and helps me learn new things. I have learned a lot from him, probably more about passing.
“My passing was not the best. I always had good intentions of where I was trying to pass but I just could not get it there. I had good intentions but he’s made me a much, much better passer and player.”
Jenkins is good enough that many consider her the frontrunner for Miss Basketball, an honor given to the state’s best senior player.
“It would be a really big accomplishment to win. I would be really happy just to be able to share that love with our team. That would be big to me,” Jenkins said. “But I don’t pay attention to it. I just play. I appreciate every honor I get but you always have to move on and have another goal.”
