Carolyn Jenkins enters her third season as head coach at Sacramento State. Jenkins, who became the fifth women’s basketball coach in the program’s 35-year history prior to the 2000-01 season, served eight years with two of the top basketball programs in the country prior to joining the Hornets.
Jenkins came to Sacramento State after serving four years (1996-2000) as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Michigan State under Karen Langeland. Prior to that, the 33-year old native of Fresno, Calif., was an assistant at Stanford University for four years (1991-1995) under Tara VanDerveer. During her eight-year tenure as an assistant coach, Michigan State and Stanford combined for a record of 180-68.
While at Michigan State, Jenkins spearheaded a recruiting class that was ranked among the top-25 in the country on three occasions (1997-98 through 1999-00). The Spartans reached the postseason three times during her tenure including a second round appearance at the NCAA Tournament during the 1996-97 season. The team also received a pair of National Invitational Tournament berths in 1998-99 and 1999-00.
During her four-year coaching stint at Stanford (1991-95), the team reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament all four years including two Final Four appearances (1991-92 and 1994-95) and a national championship in 1991-92. While at Stanford, two of the recruiting classes she helped assemble were ranked in the top-five in the country by the Blue Star Girl’s Report (1992-93 and 1993-94). Additionally,
a total of 11 players she helped recruit went on to play in the professional ranks, including Kate Starbird, Kristin Folkl and Jamila Wideman.
Not only does Jenkins have a history of recruiting great basketball talent,
she also has a track record of great students. The Hornet women’s basketball
team recorded a 2.965 overall gpa in the fall of 2001, the third-best
mark among the 20 intercollegiate sports at Sacramento State. Four members
of last year’s team (Crystal Conley, Danielle Iceman, Lori Kerswell and
Kristine Knowlton) were named to the Big Sky All-Academic team, the second-
highest total since Sacramento State joined the Big Sky in 1996.
During her time at Michigan State, the 1997-98 team was ranked in
the top-20 in team gpa and the 1999-00 Spartan team accumulated an
overall 3.3 gpa.
In addition to her 10 years of coaching at the intercollegiate level, she
was also a floor coach for the U.S. Pan American team while it trained
on campus at Stanford. That team eventually won the gold medal in
1993. A year later, she served as a floor coach and team scout for the
U.S. Senior National Team that won the world championship. Jenkins
went to Slovakia with Angela Taylor, a former Stanford player and the
current manager of player personnel for the WNBA, to scout opponents.
Jenkins earned her bachelor of arts and sciences degree in economics from UC Berkeley in 1990. While at Cal, she played 104 career games in four seasons with
the Bears (1986-1990). During that time, Jenkins recorded a career .462 (204-442) field goal percentage while playing virtually every position.
A 1999 electee into the Fresno Basketball Hall of Fame, Jenkins was the 1986 Central Section Player of the Year at San Joaquin Memorial High School in Fresno. In 1986,
she played for three Central Section championship teams (volleyball, basketball and softball), marking the only student-athlete in San Joaquin Memorial Valley’s history to play for three championship teams in the same year.
A member of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and the Black Coaches Association, Jenkins also served all four years at both Stanford and Michigan
State as the organizer and supervisor of the respective schools’ girls basketball camps. This past summer, Jenkins oversaw the “Sacramento State Women’s Basketball Team Camp” which proved to be the largest team camp in program history. More than 60 teams, which included 800 athletes, from around the area participated in three sessions worth of team camps.
Jenkins also recently organized the “Read to Achieve” program where members of the Sacramento State women’s basketball program go to elementary schools in the greater Sacramento area once a month to read to kids.
The Jenkins File:
Full Name: Carolyn Charise Jenkins
Age: 33 (1-29-69)
Place of Birth: Fresno, Calif.
High School: San Joaquin Memorial HS, Fresno, Calif. (1986)
Bachelor’s Degree: UC Berkeley, Economics (1990)
Professional Memberships: Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, Black Coaches Association
Coaching/Professional Background:
2000-Present ... Sacramento State Head Coach
1996-2000 ... Michigan State Assistant Coach
1999 ... Elected to the Fresno Basketball Hall of Fame
1991-1995 ... Stanford Assistant Coach
1994 ... Floor Coach and Team Scout, U.S. Senior National Team
1993 ... Floor Coach, U.S. Pan American Team
**Information from the Sacramento State Media Guide.
Contact Info
Telephone: (916) 278-4479
E-mail
Address: Athletics Department, CSUS, 6000 J Street, Sacramento,CA 95819