Photo: Gadsden City senior Camille Jenkins’ signed a basketball scholarship with Wallace State-Hanceville on April 14 in the GCHS library. Pictured, sitting, from left: mom Angie, Camille, dad Derrick. Standing, from left: GCHS girls basketball coach Jeremy Brooks, Wallace-Hanceville womens basketball assistant coach Hannah Nichols, Wallace-Hanceville womens basketball head coach Jessica McBrayer. (Chris McCarthy/Messenger)
By Chris McCarthy, Publisher/Editor
Camille Jenkins’ basketball career was recently extended by at least two more years.
The Gadsden City senior signed a scholarship with Wallace State-Hanceville on April 14 in the GCHS library.
“This has been my goal since I was 10 years old,” said Jenkins, who plans on studying criminal justice at Wallace State. “I’m just happy I got to do it. I got a family type of vibe when I visited, and the coaches are really nice. They made me feel at home.”
A four-year starter at guard, Jenkins this past season averaged 16 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists while helping the Lady Titans post a 14-7 record. As a junior, Jenkins played a big part in the Lady Titans’ 26-6 record and Class 7A, Area 4 Tournament championship. Gadsden City defeated Oak Mountain in the Northeast Regional Tournament semifinals before falling to eventual state runner-up Hoover in the regional championship. She was named to the North roster for the AHSAA North-South All-Star girls’ basketball game in July of 2020, but the game was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Wallace-Hanceville women’s head basketball coach Jessica McBrayer expects Jenkins to hit the ground running when practice begins in October.
“You’re there for only two years in junior college, so there’s is no time to sit down and figure out what’s going on. It’s baptism by fire. So we’re looking for Camille to come in and make an immediate impact. She has a great skill set and a high basketball IQ and plays really good defense. She also has a great outside shot that you didn’t see a lot in high school. She brings a great tempo, which is good because we play as fast and as energetic as we can. Camille comes from a great family and a great program that does things the right way, both on the court and off the court. We couldn’t be more thrilled to have her.”
Jenkins joins a lady Lion squad that went 12-7 last season made it to the quarterfinal round in the Alabama Community College Conference Tournament. McBrayer, who was named the 2020 ACCC Co-North Coach of the Year, is 17-15 in three seasons at Hanceville.
“It’s really rewarding to meet a 10-year old who in love with the game and had this as a goal
like Camille did,” said GCHS girls basketball coach Jeremy Brooks. “Getting a [college] scholarship these days is not an easy thing to do, and Camille put in a lot of time and effort to get to this point. It’s a rare skill to shoot the basketball at a high percentage like Camille does, so I think she’ll be able to do some things right off the bat at Wallace. I think Camille can be an all-around player at that level.”