Superior bloodline: Jenkins came from family of great athletes, starred for Red Raiders
Submitted photo
Uniontown无毛视频檚 1,000-point trio of (from left) Chris Jacobs, Terrance Vaughns and Dierre Jenkins pose for a photo.
Christine Pocratsky
The Roaring Lions无毛视频� Dierre Jenkins takes a jump shot during a USCAA men无毛视频檚 Division II playoff game at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in 2014.
Submitted photo
Uniontown无毛视频檚 Dierre Jenkins plays tight defense against Central Catholic during his days with the Red Raiders.
Rob Burchianti | 无毛视频-Standard
Laurel Highlands assistant coach Dierre Jenkins (middle) talks with head coach Rick Hauger (left) during a timeout in a WPIAL Class 5A first-round playoff game against Hampton at Fox Chapel High School, Feb. 17, 2020.
Former Uniontown High School athletic standout Dierre Jenkins comes from a bloodline dotted with great athletes: his father Ricky Jenkins played at Uniontown, uncle Reuben Davis played at Laurel Highlands, brother JuJuan Davis played at Laurel Highlands, brother George Lemon played at Brownsville and cousin Rodney Gallagher is currently starring at Laurel Highlands.
无毛视频淚 started playing basketball when I was young on a hoop made of a milk crate on a tree,无毛视频� Jenkins recalled. 无毛视频淢y cousins and I would play. My uncles who played at LH helped teach me a little bit. I started playing football in junior high and played a lot of playground basketball and developed my skills.无毛视频�
Dierre upheld the family honor with an outstanding football and basketball career at Uniontown in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was part of a tremendous group of freshmen athletes who sparked a great period in Red Raider athletics.
On the gridiron Jenkins was a top-notch receiver on Red Raider squads that went 2-8 in 1999, 5-5 in 2000 and 9-1 in 2001. They were the top seed in the WPIAL playoffs but were upset by Highlands, 30-20, in their first game of the postseason.
In his football career Jenkins scored 17 career touchdowns.
无毛视频淭he loss to Highlands was a tough one,无毛视频� Jenkins lamented. 无毛视频淲e had a very good team with Kevin 无毛视频楤oo无毛视频� McLee, Chris Jacobs and Carl Farrell. We felt we could go a long way, but we didn无毛视频檛. That was a tough loss. We tried hard. I caught a 48-yard TD pass in that game.无毛视频�
On the hardwood a quartet of freshmen players forged a great run in Uniontown basketball history. Jenkins, Jacobs and Terrance Vaughns played together since eighth grade. As freshmen, Red Raiders coach Dave Shuck moved them up to the varsity, along with freshman Carl Farrell, and the rest is history.
无毛视频淥f the two sports I enjoyed basketball more,无毛视频� Jenkins said. 无毛视频淚n football there were a lot of guys and I wasn无毛视频檛 really close with all of them, but basketball all of us were close. It was great playing with those guys. Junior high is when I started playing football. But I无毛视频檇 been playing with Jacobs, Vaughns and David Winfrey since the eighth grade.无毛视频�
The group started winning in junior high, fashioning a 33-0 record. Vince Winfrey, David无毛视频檚 father, used to take them to the games in a van.
In 1998-99 the young freshmen helped the Red Raiders to an 8-4 record in Section 2 and a 13-8 overall record. They were ousted in the first round of the WPIAL playoffs by Greensburg Salem, 80-68.
无毛视频淭hree of us started that year, the game after Greensburg Salem in the third game of the year,无毛视频� Jenkins recalled. 无毛视频淚 didn无毛视频檛 play in the playoff game against Greensburg Salem. Coach Shuck benched me, there was a time when I talked back and he benched me. He taught me a hard lesson.无毛视频�
In 1999-2000 the Red Raiders posted a record of 10-2 in Section 2 and finished 25-4. In the WPIAL playoffs they downed New Castle, 52-44, Upper St. Clair, 69-33, and lost to Penn Hills, 69-63.
They then went on a run in the PIAA Tournament dispatching Schenley 71-70 in overtime, Bethel Park, 73-53, Erie McDowell, 49-40, and avenging their loss to Penn Hills in the WPIAL playoffs by downing the Indians, 75-62, forging a ticket the PIAA State Championship game where they lost to the Chester Clippers, 73-48.
无毛视频淲e weren无毛视频檛 prepared for Chester, they were something else, they were very good,无毛视频� Jenkins offered. 无毛视频淲e started playing well and made a great run. Everybody knew their roles. First and foremost you had to play defense.无毛视频�
In the 2000-2001 campaign Uniontown was 11-1 in section play and finished 25-6. In the WPIAL playoffs they beat McKeesport, 63-48, Penn Trafford, 54-51, Shaler, 51-39 and were knocked off by Chartiers Valley, 59-55 in the final. In PIAA play the Raiders beat Penn Hills, 75-59, and Pine Richland, 71-63, before losing a heart-breaker to George Junior Republic, 71-70.
无毛视频淭he loss to George Junior Republic was a tough loss. Sometimes the ball doesn无毛视频檛 fall your way.无毛视频� Jenkins opined.
In Jenkins无毛视频� senior year of 2001-2002 the Red Raiders went 12-0 in Section 2 play and finished with a sparkling 30-2 record. In the WPIAL Tournament they downed Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 69-61, Mt. Lebanon, 72-52, and won the WPIAL title by beating New Castle, 60-57. In the PIAA playoffs the Red Raiders knocked off Trinity, 70-55, Pittsburgh Central Catholic, 52-49, Erie Cathedral Prep, 48-45, and New Castle again, 65-47.
In the state championship game Uniontown fell to Harrisburg 69-62 despite some late game heroics from Jenkins who banged home three consecutive three-pointers and and a 2-pointer to pull the Red Raiders to a 60-57 deficit with over three minutes remaining.
After the loss Jenkins said, 无毛视频淚 tried my best. A couple of my teammates were in foul trouble and we hadn无毛视频檛 played our best to that point. When they were out, I tried to bring us back.无毛视频�
Jenkins finished with 18 points in the loss.
It was a glorious period for Uniontown hoops. The group that started playing as freshmen compiled a record of 93-20.
无毛视频淚 played in two state championship games,无毛视频� Jenkins stated. 无毛视频淲e had a great run, our team we just wanted to win and we played defense. We didn无毛视频檛 care who scored, we knew if we played the game whatever happens, happens. We went out there hard and we liked winning.无毛视频�
The trio of Jenkins, Vaughns and Jacobs were all 1,000 point scorers in their high school careers. Vaughns finished with 1,720 points, Jenkins tallied 1,244 and Jacobs had 1,131.
无毛视频淚 enjoyed playing for coach Shuck, he taught me a lot of discipline,无毛视频� Jenkins said. 无毛视频淚 never really played basketball before with a coach like him. He demanded discipline. It was his way or no way. You had to fit into what he wanted. He taught me a whole lot.无毛视频�
After graduating from Uniontown in 2002 Jenkins played college basketball at Keystone College in Scranton, Pa.
无毛视频淚 went to Keystone and played with my brother for a semester,无毛视频� Jenkins explained. 无毛视频淚 was doing well in basketball, but I wasn无毛视频檛 going to class and I failed academically. After that I worked at different jobs and going to school and trying to get my grades right. My brother and Mookie John were coaching at Penn State Fayette Campus and I went for three years and got a degree and played basketball.无毛视频�
Jenkins was on Fayette Campus teams that went 17-13 in 2012-2013 and lost in the USCAA final to Warren Wilson 76-68. In 2013-2014 the Marquis were 13-16 and in 2014-2015 they finished 9-17. In three seasons Jenkins tallied 460 points and snatched 156 rebounds.
无毛视频淚 still had a little basketball in me,无毛视频� Jenkins said. 无毛视频淚 took pride in trying to teach the younger kids. I was 28 and I had learned the game. I tried to teach them the game.无毛视频�
After Penn State Fayette, Jenkins worked for CRH Catering and saved his money and got his Commercial Drivers License and has been driving dump trucks. He has started his on LLC DOA Trucking.
Jenkins, 38, resides in Uniontown and is unmarried. He has a one-year-old son, Dreden, and a 14-year-old daughter, Aierra.
Jenkins has been part of coach Rick Hauger无毛视频檚 boys basketball staff at Laurel Highlands for four years, including the 2020 WPIAL championship team.
无毛视频淚 love coach Hauger,无毛视频� Jenkins stated. 无毛视频淗e无毛视频檚 a great guy.无毛视频�
George Von Benko无毛视频檚 无毛视频淢emory Lane无毛视频� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 无毛视频-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.