The 2022-23 season marks the second for Carolyn Jenkins as an assistant coach on the Redhawks women’s basketball staff.
In 2021-22, Jenkins coached three OVC Freshman of the Week in Jaliyah Green (twice), Halle Smith (once) and Kennedi Watkins (twice) as the Redhawks finished with a mark of 6-23 (2-16 OVC).
Watkins was fourth on the team in scoring with 207 points (8.3 points/game) followed by Smith (177 points, 6.1 points/game) and Green (162 points, 6.8 points/game in 20 starts). Watkins also chipped in 138 boards (5.5 rebounds/game, second on team).
Jenkins previously served as the associate head women's basketball coach at Kansas Wesleyan.
In her seven seasons at Kansas Wesleyan, Jenkins assisted with the varsity, worked exclusively with the post players and was the head coach of the junior varsity team. As the associate head coach, she helped the Coyotes compile a record of 120-81 with four 20-win seasons.
With head coach Ryan Showman, Jenkins coached KWU in 2019-20 to its first outright Kansas Conference title and a first-round win in the NAIA Division II National Championship before COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the rest of the event. The 2019-20 squad posted a program-best 21-3 record in conference play and had a 26-6 overall record.
In 2020-21, Jenkins helped guide the Coyotes to the KCAC Semifinals as Kentucky Wesleyan finished with a mark of 16-11.
She helped coach 22 All-KCAC players including 2019-20 KCAC Newcomer of the Year and third-team NAIA All-American Kelcey Hinz at KWU. Jenkins has also been a part of two NAIA Scholar-Teams and WBCA Academic Top 25 teams.
Prior to joining the Coyotes coaching staff, Jenkins played professionally overseas in Bulgaria and France and had a tryout with the former San Antonio Stars of the WNBA.
Jenkins graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Applied Behavioral Science and a minor in Sociology in 2013 from The University of Kansas.
She was a four-year player for KU, who scored more than 1,700 points and grabbed over 700 rebounds leading the Jayhawks to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. She was recognized as one of the top five centers in the country, as well as an All-American and her efforts landed her a spot on the KU Women's Basketball All-Decade Team.
Jenkins earned her Master’s of Business Administration from KWU in 2016.
She is married to Jeff Jenkins. The couple has two children: Aiden, 7, and Jiren, 2.
