Sarah Jenkins Is Home
Rob Knox
11/5/2022
Her office is adorned with framed photos of family members sitting on a mantle. A few Kobe Bryant books were splayed out on her office tables. Sarah Jenkins sat comfortably behind her desk, reminded of the success she inherited; Delaware’s 2021-22 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) trophy sat to the right on a shelf. Celebratory championship photos of past and present Blue Hen players hung on the wall. The first-year Delaware head women’s basketball coach was living her dream. Jenkins is where she always imagined she would be: Leading a Division I women’s basketball program at an institution that holds special significance to her.
I'm so happy to be back! When I took this job, I felt like this was one of the greatest jobs in the country, especially at this level. You know, when you're an assistant, you have seasons of your life where you're like at some point I want to be a head coach. I knew it was part of the purpose of my life.Sarah Jenkins
It's always a GREAT DAY to be a Blue Hen!!
— Delaware Women’s Basketball (@DelawareWBB) April 5, 2022
Watch the full press conference ?? ?? https://t.co/vjbxw5a1Ts pic.twitter.com/QA25fPCqg9
— Delaware Women’s Basketball (@DelawareWBB) April 5, 2022
It’s a few minutes before a recent practice and Jenkins was diligently finalizing the day’s schedule for the Blue Hens. Women’s basketball student-athletes were completing weight training. Jenkins’ assistant coaches were finishing tasks. It’s easy to understand why Jenkins’ office was quiet on this particular afternoon. It’s a perfect tableau for Jenkins, who cherishes the rare moments of solitude because it will change when Delaware begins its 2022-23 season at Longwood on Nov. 7
Sliding six inches over to the head coaching seat presents Jenkins with additional opportunities and challenges. Now, every major decision rests with her. When there’s a tie game, the Blue Hens are trailing by one point, or trying to protect that same slim advantage, all eyes will be on Jenkins, who has surrounded herself with talented and passionate assistant coaches. She’s thrilled for the task of maintaining the Blue Hens recent run of excellence.
2022-23 Women's Basketball Team
We're going to have to work through some things and we'll have to figure out some things. This is a group of people who have never played together. So, I've got 13 kids in that locker room who've never played one basketball game together. And that's tough, but we'll figure it out.Sarah Jenkins
Jenkins, a former associate head coach at Delaware, was named the fifth women's basketball head coach in the program's illustrious history by Delaware Director of Athletics Chrissi Rawak announced on April 3. She owns eight years of Division I coaching experience and most recently spent the past year serving as an assistant coach at Penn State. Jenkins replaces her mentor, Natasha Adair, who was hired at Arizona State earlier this year, after leading Delaware to the CAA Tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2022. Jenkins is no stranger to the Blue Hen family as she spent four seasons on the coaching staff. She held the title of assistant coach and recruiting coordinator (2017-20) before being elevated to associate head coach and recruiting coordinator during the 2020-21 season. During her tutelage, the Blue Hens were 71-50 overall and 46-26 in conference play.
Just awesome being with @COACH_SCJ22 and President Assanis and Eleni - could not be more excited about @DelawareWBB!! So incredibly ?? for their support - second to none!! pic.twitter.com/HDmXHJJlU4
— Chrissi Rawak (@BlueHensRawak) April 4, 2022
??h?? ???? ????????????h?????? ???? ???????? ?????? ????????...????????????????????, ??????????, ??????????????, ????????????????????, ?????????????????????? ?????? ??????'?? ?? ???????? ??????
— Delaware Women’s Basketball (@DelawareWBB) April 5, 2022
Couldn't agree with you more @BlueHensRawak
Welcome back home, @COACH_SCJ22 ?? pic.twitter.com/YLkM3k68Pq
When I got the call from Chrissi that she wanted me to be the head coach, I just started crying. I was in my car driving and I'm crying, like, no way. This can't be possible. It is just an amazing feeling. You put your head down, work, and be the best version of you every day and good things happen. You put everything you can into your profession, and more importantly these student-athletesSarah Jenkins
While adjusting to running a program will be new for Jenkins, there’s one thing she doesn’t have to worry about.
The good thing is that I didn't have to come in and rebuild a culture. Even though we had kids in here who aren't used to playing certain roles or minutes, we have kids in this locker room who have been a part of a winning culture. Nine times out of 10, most coaches that take over programs are rebuilding, and they have to focus on culture. I haven't had to spend a ton of time on culture. We come in the gym and our energy is great most days. We work hard every day. You know, the three things I teach our kids every day is we're not coaching energy, effort, and pace. Those are the things they've committed to every day. They manage and police the locker room. So, we very rarely have disciplinary issues because they do that stuff. So that's half the battle, not having to deal with the culture piece.Sarah Jenkins
Sarah Jenkins at preseason practice
After all, it’s something Jenkins has inherited from Adair, her mentor and friend. Jenkins and Adair have been joined at the hip since 2001 when she coached her as a student-athlete at Georgetown. Then they coached together on the Georgetown staff before joining Adair at Delaware. There’s been lots of lessons learned from Adair that has shaped Jenkins’ philosophy, personality, and presence.
Natasha is hands down the greatest motivating coach I've ever been around. She's the greatest motivator and able to motivate people to perform above what they're capable of doing. She's phenomenal at that. We were 4-27 one year at Georgetown and I looked at her and I said, What the are we doing? And she looked at me and said, this is part of the process. Everybody's not built for this part of the process, but we're built for it. And she said, if we keep loving on these kids and keep pouring into these kids, then we're going to get better. The following year we were 18-13 and went to the WNIT where we had the second largest turnaround in Division I history.Sarah Jenkins
Paying it forward #WomenSupportingWomen @CoachAdair ?? @COACH_SCJ22 pic.twitter.com/29tIPgeXmA
— Delaware Women’s Basketball (@DelawareWBB) April 5, 2022
It’s a #BlueHens family reunion ?? pic.twitter.com/nV87bVVwoM
— Delaware Women’s Basketball (@DelawareWBB) April 5, 2022
Those lessons, along with the year she spent at Penn State under coach Carolyn Kieger, has Jenkins more than prepared for her first head coaching opportunity. She is also supported by her family since most of them live in Maryland. The photos of her family keep her grounded and provide all the encouragement she needs whenever she hits a burst of adversity. The pictures are also a way for Jenkins to build a legacy that her family can be proud of. Jenkins, more than most, understands she’s back at Delaware for a reason. Her title is secondary to her purpose.
I've been blessed and fortunate. Everybody's path in this profession is different. A big thing that we teach to our kids are that relationships are important, and my relationships have allowed me to jump steps in this industry. I've worked my whole life for this moment. Everything I've gone through in my life, every job, every basketball practice, every relationship has been a part of preparation for me for now. Being a head coach is part of the purpose and plan that God has for my life, and it's part of fulfilling my destiny. I have a gift with impacting, motivating, and building relationships with people. This is a platform that God chose for me to do that.Sarah Jenkins
Amazing how God also calls his people home too.
Rob Knox is an award-winning professional. A member of the Lincoln (Pa.) Hall of Fame, Knox currently serves as the Senior Director of Strategic Communications for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Knox enjoyed a distinguished career as an athletics communicator for Lincoln, Kutztown, Coppin State, Towson, and UNC Greensboro. He also worked at ESPN and for the Delaware County Daily Times. Recently, Knox was honored by the NCAA with its Champion of Diversity award in July 2022. Knox is a graduate of Lincoln University and a past president of the College Sports Communicators, formerly CoSIDA.
