By Anthony Covino
Sports Editor
Jahlil Jenkins, the star guard for men’s basketball, told his Instagram followers Wednesday night that he will transfer to Stony Brook University for his final year of NCAA eligibility.
Jenkins will join a Stony Brook team that finished seventh in the America East Conference (7-9 this year) with a 9-14 overall record.
Fellow FDU senior Elyjah Williams is also in the transfer portal but has yet to indicate a decision.
The 6-0 Jenkins from Ranson, W. Va., has been FDU coach Greg Herenda’s floor general for the past four years. Jenkins’ ability to create chances not only for himself, but for his teammates, put him as the target of double-teams and even triple-teams.
The Knights, preseason picks to win the NEC, finished 9-15, 8-10 this season, a year when COVID-19 concerns made every game played seemingly a gift. Players and staff were constantly tested and isolated and held meetings in safe environments. Practices and training sessions were a challenge.
Jenkins is now the second player from FDU to transfer this year as senior guard/forward Xzavier Malone-Key opted out of the season and transferred to Oregon State University for his fifth year of eligibility. Malone-Key joins a Beavers team that made an Elite Eight run in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Jenkins averaged 16.8 points a game this season, earning second team All-Northeast Conference honors in 2021 and pre-season all-NEC this year.
Jenkins stands No. 4 on FDU’s all-time scoring list with 1,698 points. He holds the record for most field goals attempted with 1,366, and he is second in three-pointers attempted with 502, and assists with 477. He is third on the list in steals with 183 and sixth on the list with 363 free throws made and No. 4 in three-pointers made with 179.
With the loss of Jenkins, 2020 NEC-All Rookie Devon Dunn may be the future FDU point guard starter. He sat out the 2020-2021 season due to COVID-19 concerns after averaging 7.6 points a game with eight starts in 2019-2020. Dunn presumably will vie with incoming freshman Antoine Jacks at the guard slots.
The NCAA introduced the transfer portal in 2018 to help college athletes and administrators manage the transfer process in a more transparent manner.
Please follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Write to us at equinoxfdu@gmail.com.
Art courtesy of Jahlil Jenkins’ Instagram
