Jenkins’ game influenced by role models

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DeVonte Jenkins

Top Athlete: Devonte Jenkins

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Ursuline senior DeVonte Jenkins doesn’t mince words when talking about his role models.

“I love my Mom [Idella Bell] with all my heart,” said Jenkins who helped Ursuline earn a return to the Division III regional final. “She’s always been there no matter what we needed, she always kept me on the right path.”

As for Irish head coach Keith Gunther, Jenkins said, “He’s been like a father figure to me since I haven’t grown up with one. He’s just been there for us.”

Jenkins, a 6-foot-6 senior, hasn’t decided where he will go to college but he knows he wants to study sports medicine. He cited anatomy as his favorite class and Fred Sanders as one of the teachers who has most influenced him.

The Irish rebounded from two disappointing seasons to become again the Division III team that no one wants to play at tournament time. The Irish throttled Campbell, 66-34, in the Salem district final then defeated Orrville 66-58 in the regional semifinal in Canton.

“We had a great year — we dealt with a lot of adversity because of the bad previous seasons,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins admitted it felt good to enjoy success the way the Irish football team has dominated during his high school years.

“Since they’ve won state three years in a row, we felt we had to prove something,” said Jenkins who has been a friend of Akise Teague (Ohio’s Mr. Football) for years.

“He claims he’s pretty good [at basketball] and he’s a pretty good athlete,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins didn’t play organized basketball until he was an eighth grader at Volney Rogers Junior High. He played quarterback through his freshman year then gave up football to concentrate on basketball.

“Football was my first love, but basketball sort of took over,” Jenkins said.