St. John’s Signs Graduate Transfer

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Published Apr 14, 2023

St. John’s Signs Graduate Transfer

Press Release

SJU Athletics

QUEENS, N.Y. (April 14, 2023) – With the Rick Pitino Era in full swing, the St. John’s men’s basketball program has signed graduate transfer Daniss Jenkins for the 2023-24 campaign.

“Daniss Jenkins is a lightning quick guard who is a tremendous leader on and off the court,” said Pitino. “He is someone we will rely on heavily to lead us into next season.”

Jenkins starred at Iona last season, where he earned All-MAAC honors and helped lead the Gaels to the NCAA Tournament. The Dallas, Texas, native was the only Iona player to start all 35 games, as he helped guide the Gaels to 27 wins and earn Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) regular season and tournament titles.

The 6-foot-4 guard led the MAAC and ranked top-50 in Division I with 4.9 assists per game last season. Jenkins also averaged 15.6 points and registered double figures in 31 games, including 11 straight to end the campaign. He had eight 20-point performances with a career-high 31-point effort at Niagara on Dec. 2. Jenkins tallied three double-doubles in 2022-23 with a pair of 20-point, 10-assist outings. Jenkins also averaged 1.4 steals per contest.

Jenkins began his collegiate career at the University of the Pacific, playing two seasons in the West Coast Conference (WCC). He earned a spot on the league’s all-freshman team after averaging 6.2 points starting 23 of his 32 appearances during the 2019-20 season. As a sophomore, he started all 18 games while leading the team with 12.2 points to go with 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest. Jenkins received All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition in 2020-21.

In 85 appearances at the Division I level, Jenkins has scored 964 points, 249 assists and 248 rebounds.

Before his tenure at Iona, Jenkins spent the 2021-22 campaign at Odessa College, where he guided the Wranglers to an Elite Eight appearance in the NJCAA Division I Basketball Championships. That season, Jenkins averaged 15.0 points and 5.3 assists per game in 34 starts. For his efforts, he earned NJCAA Division I All-America First Team honors and was named the Western Junior College Athletic Conference (WJCAC) Player of the Year.

Prior to reaching the collegiate ranks, Jenkins averaged 24.5 points, 7.1 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.0 blocks per game as a senior at Dallas Hillcrest. He earned Dallas Independent School District Offensive Player of the Year honors and was a finalist for the Dallas ISD Most Valuable Player. He also received a pair of all-region honors during his time with the Panthers.