Miss Basketball Amiya Jenkins has spectacular game a few hours after being involved in car accident

Amiya Jenkins (second from right on front row) had a sensational game in Saturday's Kentucky all-star win over Indiana after getting to the gym about the same time the game started. (Chris Stallings Photo)

Judie Mason knew Miss Basketball Amiya Jenkins of Anderson County was a special player  before the Kentucky-Indiana all-star series. However, the veteran Danville coach now has a new level of respect for Jenkins after what she did Saturday night.

Jenkins, a Kentucky signee, had a game-high 31 points in a 101-76 victory over Indiana that tied the series record for  most points by one team in a game. She was 9-for-18 from the field, including 4-for-8 from 3, and 9-for-10 at the foul line. She also had eight assists, seven rebounds, three steals and three blocks in almost 37 minutes of play.

Not bad considering she didn’t get to take any pregame shot attempts or even stretch before the game in Indianapolis because she got to the arena just minutes before the game started and was still pulling on her warmup shirt when the starting lineups were being announced.

“She has my total respect now. What she did considering all that happened was just amazing,” said Mason.

What happened is that Jenkins and her mother were involved in an automobile accident on the way to Indianapolis for the game about three hours before the scheduled tip-off. Mason got a call from Jenkins’ mother about the accident and said her daughter likely would not be able to make the game.

“I was just glad they were okay. She was crying when I called her (Amiya) and asked if she could call me back,” Mason said. “About 20 minutes later she texted me and said she was going to be there. I don’t know how she got here.”

Jenkins’ uncle was also on his way to the game and stopped to get Jenkins’ and her mother.

“We were already halfway there and I wanted to play,” Kentucky’s Miss Basketball said. “We had to show Indiana who was boss. We should have won Friday (in the first game when Indiana won on a last-second shot). I didn’t want to miss the game.”

Jenkins sent Mason a text saying her GPS indicated she would be at the arena at 5 p.m. — the scheduled start time for the game.

“I was thinking we would not have her in the first quarter,” the Danville coach said. “They were doing introductions and I was told she had got here. We did not tell them (game officials) she might not make it and when they started introducing her, I swear she came running through the tunnel putting her warmup over top of her jersey. She was smiling and high-fiving everybody and said, ‘Coach, I am here.’”

“I didn’t start her but I got her in quick. She had a turnover and airball to start with. I told our coaches she was either going to lay an egg or have the best game of her life. She just took over. She was everywhere and played until the very end. That’s why she will make it big at UK. She scored inside and outside. She was great on defense, passing the ball.”

Jenkins said the performance was “up there with her best games” even if she didn’t get any warmup time.

“I just like to stay ready. I was happy just to be there and playing,” Jenkins said. “I was confident we could win. I loved playing for coach Mason and wanted to be there for her. She is really energetic. She is constantly into the game. I love her style. I was not aware of my points or our team scoring record. I just went out there and played and had fun with my teammates.”

Mason doubts she’ll ever forget the way Jenkins played or how she did not bail out on her team.

“She had the best excuse not to be there. I thanked her mother,” Mason said Sunday. “She’s going to UK. She was in a wreck. I am sure both her and her mom are going to be sore for a few days but she wanted to be with us and I totally respect what she did to help us win.”