Charles Jenkins to have his jersey retired while he is still playing

There's no questioning that Hofstra's Charles Jenkins has been a great player.

He's one of just three players this season leading his conference in scoring (23.3 ppg) and assists (4.8 apg). He's scored 2,420 career points, second in the CAA only to some guy from Navy named David Robinson, who had 2,669 career points. He's also on track to receive his third consecutive Haggerty Award as the best D-I hooper in the New York metro region. Only Columbia's Jim McMillian (back in the late '60's) and St. John's Chris Mullin have done that.


If you want a real measure of greatness, how about this -- on Saturday, when Hofstra hosts Delaware on Jenkin's senior night, the senior point guard will have his number retired by the Pride while he is still playing!

That's pretty incredible when you think about it. (And head scratching. Will he be allowed to wear his No. 22 jersey, or will it be stuck up in the rafters?)

Only four players in Hofstra history have had their number retired, and in all likelihood the only player you have heard of from that group is Speedy Claxton. Ironically, as Brendan Prunty wrote today, Claxton helped play a role in morphing Jenkins from an under-recruited kid out of a small high school in Queens to a potential first round pick:

Speedy Claxton, then with the Atlanta Hawks, saw his prey in the form of Jenkins when the two faced off in an open gym session. The NBA veteran bumped, bruised and harassed the freshman-to-be. By the end of the game, Jenkins didn’t care who Claxton was — he was ready to throw down. Then, he realized something: Claxton was challenging him because he saw the potential.

"He really gave it to me that day," Jenkins recalled. "I wanted to fight him a little bit because he was so tough on me. But that really showed how much he cared — to put all of that effort into even guarding me in an open gym like that."

The only thing that Jenkins hasn't accomplished in his career, it seems, is to reach the NCAA Tournament. With Hofstra's 26 point loss to Wright State over the weekend, their hopes of an at-large bid are non-existant.

But with a talent like Jenkins leading them into the CAA Tournament, there's always a chance for the Flying Dutchmen to make a run.

Forget cementing his legacy.

It would be nothing but the cherry on top.


BONUS VIDEO!!!!: This is why I say Chuck J (can I call him Chuck J? What about Chucks J's?) can lead Hofstra to a CAA Tournament title: