Editor’s note: It appears that UTSA forward and 2022-23 Conference USA Player of the Year Jordyn Jenkins will make her season debut on Sunday against the UAB Blazers. Jenkins, who averaged 20.6 points a year ago, is on the floor warming up for the Roadrunners. She hasn’t played yet this year after suffering a knee injury last April. It also appears that UTSA center Elyssa Coleman will not play. Coleman didn’t practice on Saturday and isn’t in uniform.
By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay
UTSA women’s basketball coach Karen Aston says she will have a conversation from time to time with forward Jordyn Jenkins.
Jordyn Jenkins is expected to make her season debut for the UTSA women’s basketball team today. – File photo by Joe Alexander
The two will talk about the player’s pre-game routine.
“I’ve told her, ‘Don’t put your uniform on unless you’re ready to play, because I might put you in,’ ” Aston said.
The coach said the two discuss this topic “every day before warmups.”
Presumably, that conversation will take place again Sunday before the Roadrunners hit the floor a 1 p.m. game at the Convocation Center against the UAB Blazers.
On Saturday, it became apparent that a decision is looming on whether Jenkins will try to play in the last few weeks of the season, or whether she will continue her workouts with an eye on not playing, which would allow her to maintain two full seasons of eligibility.
For background, the 2022-23 Conference USA Player of the Year injured a knee last April. The mishap occurred in the weeks after the Roadrunners were eliminated in the semifinals from the C-USA tournament. It was evident then that her recovery would take time, and indeed it has.
A 20-points per game scorer last season, she hasn’t played yet through 21 games. At the same time, she has made steady progress and has stayed steady with her rehabilitation and her commitment to the program. Jenkins has attended every practice that I’ve seen all season. Every game, too.
Lately, her workouts have been encouraging. For the past two weeks, she seems to do a little more each time out. On Saturday, she was banging against male practice players in the post.
Afterward, I asked the coach, “Is No. 32 getting ready to play?
“Um, she looks better,” Aston said. “She’s definitely coming along.”
At that, I followed up with a question on whether the two have talked about the implications of playing the last few weeks of the season and having it count toward a year of her eligibility.
“We talk about it, for sure,” Aston said. “So, we’ll see. I mean, (the season) is winding down.”
Do you think she might play (against UAB), I asked.
“Day to day,” the coach replied.
At that, I glanced at the coach and smiled. The coach, who has a world-class poker face, smiled back — slightly.
“I don’t know,” she said.
With seven games remaining in the regular season remaining, it’s logical that today could be the day, considering the Roadrunners might need her scoring to avoid dropping their second home game in a row.
So, as the coach is fond of saying, “We’ll see.”
Records
UAB 17-6, 8-3
UTSA 11-10, 5-5
Coming up
UTSA at Tulsa, Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.