Superior bloodline: Jenkins came from family of great athletes, starred for Red Raiders
Submitted photo
Uniontown鈥檚 1,000-point trio of (from left) Chris Jacobs, Terrance Vaughns and Dierre Jenkins pose for a photo.
Christine Pocratsky
The Roaring Lions鈥� Dierre Jenkins takes a jump shot during a USCAA men鈥檚 Division II playoff game at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus in 2014.
Submitted photo
Uniontown鈥檚 Dierre Jenkins plays tight defense against Central Catholic during his days with the Red Raiders.
Rob Burchianti | 缅北禁地
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.
鈥淚 started playing basketball when I was young on a hoop made of a milk crate on a tree,鈥� Jenkins recalled. 鈥淢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.鈥�
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.
鈥淭he loss to Highlands was a tough one,鈥� Jenkins lamented. 鈥淲e had a very good team with Kevin 鈥楤oo鈥� McLee, Chris Jacobs and Carl Farrell. We felt we could go a long way, but we didn鈥檛. That was a tough loss. We tried hard. I caught a 48-yard TD pass in that game.鈥�
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.
鈥淥f the two sports I enjoyed basketball more,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淚n football there were a lot of guys and I wasn鈥檛 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鈥檇 been playing with Jacobs, Vaughns and David Winfrey since the eighth grade.鈥�
The group started winning in junior high, fashioning a 33-0 record. Vince Winfrey, David鈥檚 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.
鈥淭hree of us started that year, the game after Greensburg Salem in the third game of the year,鈥� Jenkins recalled. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 prepared for Chester, they were something else, they were very good,鈥� Jenkins offered. 鈥淲e started playing well and made a great run. Everybody knew their roles. First and foremost you had to play defense.鈥�
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.
鈥淭he loss to George Junior Republic was a tough loss. Sometimes the ball doesn鈥檛 fall your way.鈥� Jenkins opined.
In Jenkins鈥� 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, 鈥淚 tried my best. A couple of my teammates were in foul trouble and we hadn鈥檛 played our best to that point. When they were out, I tried to bring us back.鈥�
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.
鈥淚 played in two state championship games,鈥� Jenkins stated. 鈥淲e had a great run, our team we just wanted to win and we played defense. We didn鈥檛 care who scored, we knew if we played the game whatever happens, happens. We went out there hard and we liked winning.鈥�
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.
鈥淚 enjoyed playing for coach Shuck, he taught me a lot of discipline,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
After graduating from Uniontown in 2002 Jenkins played college basketball at Keystone College in Scranton, Pa.
鈥淚 went to Keystone and played with my brother for a semester,鈥� Jenkins explained. 鈥淚 was doing well in basketball, but I wasn鈥檛 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.鈥�
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.
鈥淚 still had a little basketball in me,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淚 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.鈥�
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鈥檚 boys basketball staff at Laurel Highlands for four years, including the 2020 WPIAL championship team.
鈥淚 love coach Hauger,鈥� Jenkins stated. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a great guy.鈥�
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Sunday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.