With the game winding down and the sixth straight conference win hemmed up for the Hofstra Pride, Charles Jenkins – Hofstra’s all-time leading scorer – hid his face in his jersey, overwhelmed with emotion.
“It was hard for me to play knowing that it was my last game, but I still had to be a competitor. I think I’m starting to appreciate it now because we won," said Jenkins.
Hofstra honored three seniors before their conference match up with the Delaware Blue Hens (13-16, 8-10); Brad Kelleher, Greg Washington and Jenkins, who became the first active player in Pride history to have his jersey retired during a ceremony before the game. His jersey, number 22, joins Craig “Speedy” Claxton, Rich Laurel, Steve Nisenson and Bill Thieben in the rafters of the David S. Mack Complex on Hofstra’s Hempstead campus.
Jenkins – who increased his scoring total to 2,441 career points with 21 additional points against the Hens – was a star on the court and in the classroom at Springfield Gardens High School, fueled by a life-changing incident during his adolescence. His older brother, Kareem, was fatally shot in Brooklyn while he was in eighth grade. During his closing moments on the court at Hofstra amidst their 79-60 victory, Jenkins could not help but think about his fallen brother.
“My brother’s looking down on me. The 22 represents my brother’s age when he passed away. Now, me and him are going to be in this building together,” said Jenkins.
His play at Springfield Gardens High School gained the attention of former Hofstra (20-10, 14-4) recruiter and assistant coach David Duke who saw infinite potential in Jenkins.
“Once a scholarship opened up, I went in head first,” said Duke, a lifelong Bayside resident and current assistant coach at Fordham University. “I saw what a great physical talent he was. I can’t say enough about him. You’re not going to come across a nicer young man.”
As the reigning Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) player of the year and totaling the most points by any active player in the nation, the sellout Hofstra crowd of 5,050 – each of whom received a free Hofstra 22 t-shirt – took opportunities to chant, “N-B-A” and “Charles Jenkins” almost every time he touched the ball. It was a moment that his father, Charles Sr., said he will never forget.
“He made a lot of progress on the court, but what I’m really proud of is how he became a man here. [Today’s ceremony] was the icing on the cake,” he said.
Hofstra clinched the third seed and a bye in the first round of the CAA Tournament which begins on March 4 in Richmond, Virginia. They will face off against the winner of James Madison and William and Mary.
