David Jenkins is seventh UNLV player to enter transfer portal

By Mike Grimala (contact)

Monday, March 29, 2021 | 6:13 p.m.

UNLV is losing another starter from its roster, as junior guard David Jenkins entered the transfer portal on Monday.

More than half the 2020-21 team has now entered the portal, including two starting backcourt players in Jenkins and sophomore guard Caleb Grill.

In a Twitter post, Jenkins left open the possibility that he could return to UNLV after weighing his options in the portal.

"I believe it is in my best interest as a player to reopen my recruitment and explore my options," Jenkins said. "This does not mean I will definitely by leaving UNLV, but I want to be able to explore other schools that will give me the best opportunity to achieve my dreams."

Jenkins transferred from South Dakota State in the summer of 2019, following former Jackrabbits coach T.J. Otzelberger to UNLV. After sitting out a redshirt year, Jenkins played in all 27 contests this season and scored 14.8 points per game while knocking down 40.9% of his 3-point shots.

Though the final statistics were nice, the 2020-21 season was a rocky one for Jenkins. He was picked as the Mountain West’s Preseason Newcomer of the Year after scoring 19.7 points per game as a sophomore at South Dakota State, but he started slowly at UNLV, making just 13-of-45 attempts (28.9%) over the first four games as the scarlet and gray opened the year 0-4.

Jenkins also struggled defensively and did not move the ball as willingly as Otzelberger would have liked, which became points of contention for the player and coach.

According to a source, Otzelberger soured on Jenkins during the course of the 2020-21 season. Midway through the campaign, Otzelberger summoned Jenkins to a one-on-one meeting in which the coach told Jenkins he would not have a place on the UNLV roster in 2021-22. According to the source, Otzelberger told Jenkins he did not enjoy coaching him anymore.

Shortly after that meeting, Otzelberger pulled Jenkins from the starting lineup and brought him off the bench for the next six games. Jenkins eventually regained his starting job but it was clear he was no longer in Otzelberger’s future plans.

With Otzelberger bailing for Iowa State and Kevin Kruger taking over at UNLV, it leaves the door slightly open for Jenkins to return to Las Vegas next year.

Jenkins should have many suitors. The Tacoma native was highly sought after two summers ago, when he chose UNLV over schools such as Gonzaga and Oregon, and though Otzelberger may have become disenchanted with him over time, other coaches will likely see his shooting percentages and jump at the chance to add an elite 3-point sniper.

Jenkins recorded seven 20-point games this season and topped the 30-point mark twice, including a season-high 33 in a loss to Utah State on Jan. 27.

UNLV now has seven players in the transfer portal. In addition to Jenkins and Grill, the team is also poised to lose freshman forward Devin Tillis, junior forward Edoardo Del Cadia, freshman guard Donavan Yap and freshman center Jhaylon Martinez. Freshman guard Isaac Lindsey has already committed to Wisconsin as a walk-on.

Now that Jenkins is out, all attention will turn to junior guard Bryce Hamilton, who led UNLV in scoring last season (17.9 points per game). Hamilton has mused about going pro in the past, and a transfer could also be a possibility for the Pasadena, Calif. Native.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.