NORFOLK, Va. – Chaunce Jenkins' face lit up when he exited the locker room at Chartway Arena and saw three visitors from North Carolina. The Old Dominion basketball guard hugged Jackie Eldrenkamp, Melysa Collins and Jackie Colin like they were family.
And in a sense, they are family.
Last April, it was announced that Jenkins' tuition, books and living expenses would be paid for by an endowed scholarship named for former ODU head coach Sonny Allen.
Nearly a dozen Allen family members sat with Jenkins at a banquet where the announcement was made and vowed to be a support group for him. The Allens exchanged phone numbers with him and they all prayed together before they left.
They have since texted and talked weekly with Jenkins, especially Billy Allen, Sonny's only son. Jenkins has since received a bible with his name engraved and a book of biblical readings for every day of the year.
"They've really been good to me," Jenkins said. "They've sent me some nice stuff and check up on me to see how I'm doing. They're really nice people.
"I think the world of them."
In spite of the turmoil the Monarchs have experienced this season – a 5-14 record punctuated by the absence of coach Jeff Jones because of medical problems – Jenkins is happy at ODU. And the support he receives from coaches, fans, his family, and the Allens, all play a part.
After a false start to his college career at Wichita State, the former Menchville High standout has found his place at ODU, which hosts 17-2 James Madison tonight at 7 p.m. at Chartway Arena.
He's not happy with the record, of course. But he's pleased to be playing close to his hometown and in many ways, he's blossoming.
He averages 15.9 points, four rebounds and nearly three assists per game after a breakout season a year ago.
"I'm very happy here," Jenkins said. "You're playing at home, being able to put the jersey on with pride and being able to say I gave it all every time I step on the court in my hometown area.
"I know we're not winning as much as we'd like to, but I have confidence that we can make a push and still get some things done this year.
"I love playing for ODU."
Jenkins has almost always been an underdog, the guy everyone seems to underestimate. He was short through middle school and because of his diminutive size, a lot of people never thought he'd amount to much in any athletic endeavor.
Even when he was a star as a senior at Menchville High, was Peninsula District Player of the Year and second-team all-state and led his team to a 20-4 record and the Peninsula District title, college coaches weren't impressed.
He had offers from Hampton, Robert Morris and VMI. ODU tried to recruit him late in the process but by then, Wichita State offered him and swept him away.
But yet again, he was underestimated. He hardly played as a freshman and sophomore and was on the scout team. He scored just 48 points in two seasons.
After he realized he did not fit into Wichita State's long-term plans, he entered the transfer portal.
When coaches saw his practice tape at Wichita State, they came out of the woodwork to recruit him. "Just about every mid-major school in this region reached out to him," said Lamont Strothers, his coach at Menchville.
He chose to come back to Hampton Roads and play for ODU, and he says that's the best decision he's ever made.
Jenkins was named a third-team All-Sun Belt selection last season, and even that honor might have understated his ability. He led ODU and was tenth in the Sun Belt in scoring at 13.5 points per game and did so while playing about half the season at point guard.
He was 13th in the league in assists with 2.7 and he made 46 percent of his shots, including 34 percent of his three-pointers, and had 17 blocked shots and 29 steals.
And he's a good defender.
This season he was a preseason All-Sun Belt first team choice.
When you see Jenkins on the court now, it's difficult to believe he's ever been underestimated. When the Monarchs absolutely must have a basket, they put the ball in his hands.
This season he has been sharing duties at the point with Vasean Allette and Imo Essien, and thus has played more at the No. 2 spot. But one thing remains the same – because of his slender frame, opponents body up on him and try to force him out of his rhythm by getting physical with him.
"When I was smaller, guys tried to do that all the time, get me out of my game, make me turn it over, make me look bad," he said. "At the time it was frustrating, but that's something I had to get over.
"Now I'm not really that bothered by it. It's just part of college basketball."
Dave Twardzik, the former ODU All-American who did color commentary on the ODU Radio Network a year ago, was also underestimated. Then coached by Sonny Allen, ODU was the only school to offer him out of high school and when he began playing for the Virginia Squires of the American Basketball Association, not all that much was expected of him.
Twardzik went on to a long and successful career in the ABA and NBA and has been working in pro basketball for decades. He said he loves to watch Jenkins play and says he has pro potential.
"I think he can play after Old Dominion," Twardzik said. "I don't know at what level."
Whether he becomes an NBA prospect or not "depends on how much he improves his ballhandling. But athletically, he has the ability to just blow past defenders.
"The unfortunate thing is that he's having to play out of position. But in the long run, it will make him a better player when he gets back to his natural position."
Assistant coach Chris Kovensky said "I don't know that Chaunce understands just how great he can be. He can be such a special player.
"You know those guys whose pictures we have outside our locker room who have played at the highest level? Chaunce can be one of those guys."
When Jenkins was in grade school, he was so short that no one would choose him in a pickup game. Strothers' son, Allen Strothers, was Jenkins' close friend and teammate growing up.
"I used to tell his mother that, yes, he's small, but that kid is going to be special," Lamont Strothers said. "I told her to make sure he keeps working and don't worry about what people are saying."
Jenkins said being the littlest guy in the gym and football field – he was a running back through middle school – forced him to become a better and tougher player.
"It helped me to play the way I do now," he said. "Being underestimated just put that chip on my shoulder."
Strothers, a former Christopher Newport star who played in the NBA, took over as the coach at Menchville High School a few years ago, and wouldn't you know it, Jenkins was a sophomore on that team.
Jenkins sprouted several inches between his freshman and sophomore seasons and was 6-foot-4 and very athletic.
Strothers benched a more experienced player and started Jenkins as a sophomore and acknowledges he took some heat for doing so. But the results speak for themselves.
Strothers and Jenkins helped rebuild a program that hit hard times back into a winner. During Jenkins' senior year, the Monarchs were one victory away from a berth in the state tournament and one of Jenkins' many rim-rattling dunks was featured on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays of the day.
While Jenkins can be flamboyant on the court, he is anything but off the court.
Amy Lynch, an academic counselor for ODU, calls him a "very sweet, very caring, quiet young man."
Jenkins' character is a credit to his family, his parents, Cecil Jenkins and Demeka Williams, and his grandparents, Raymond Simpson and Katherine Hart.
When Jones wanted Jenkins to work a little harder in the classroom, he contacted Demeka Williams, and all it took was a word from her for him to work harder.
"My parents gave me everything they could for me," he said. "They raised me the right way. They taught me right from wrong.
"I lived with my grandparents for a significant part of my life. They taught me so much and provided me with unconditional love and support. To this day, I call them, go to their houses. I love them to death."
Strothers said he saw Jenkins' relationship with his grandparents even before he knew Jenkins well.
"I've been around a long time can tell when kids have been around their grandparents a lot," Strothers said. "They have that demeanor, that laid back demeanor. He's an old soul type of kid."
Jenkins said he feels a ton of support at every home game.
"One of my favorite parts of being here is having that continuing support in the crowd," he said. "Obviously, our fans are great.
"But when you go into the stands after a game and you're able to talk to your mom and your grandmother, that's different. It's very special."
For the Allen family, a trip to Norfolk to see the Monarchs take on Marshall has become a yearly ritual. Five family members – including Melysa's sons Ian and Parker – piled into her van and drove the 265 miles from Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Norfolk last week.
Marshall is where Sonny Allen not only played – he walked onto the team and earned a scholarship – but also where he got his first coaching job.
Eldrenkamp caught herself cheering for Marshall several times during ODU's 91-66 victory last Thursday.
The day before they toured the campus and then relived memories by driving through the Larchmont neighborhood where they lived for the 10 years.
Colin, who was the sister of Sonny's first wife, said she was amazed at how much ODU, downtown Norfolk and Ghent have grown.
"I didn't recognize the campus, it's grown so much," she said.
The group posed for photographs at the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in front of Sonny's likeness.
Now, with Chaunce playing for the Monarchs, there is even more urgency to drive to Norfolk. Eldrenkamp said on the next trip, they will stay for two games.
Billy Allen would have loved to have made it to Norfolk, but he suffered a heart attack in June and while he's made a full recovery, his travel schedule has been full with business trips.
Allen was a standout point guard at SMU and the University of Nevada, where he played for his dad, so having a heart attack at age 64 was quite a shock.
He was running eight miles every few days at the time. He has a thin frame and exudes a healthy vibe.
His life may have been saved by his wife, Lisa, who when he complained of soreness in his back and shoulder, recognized it could be a heart attack.
She told him to get in the car and drove straight to the Baylor Heart Hospital in Plano, Texas, where doctors put a stint in his heart.
Religion is a big part of life for the Allen family as it is for Jenkins' family as well.
Allen family members are spread across the country from Nevada and Texas to Maine and North Carolina. Yet every day, Billy said, family members pray for Chaunce.
"We pray for him all the time," Billy Allen said. "My sisters do as well, my entire family. He's an unbelievable, terrific young man. We're just so proud of him.
"I thank Jesus every day for my recovery. And I'm so proud of Chaunce that he's a faithful young man.
"The bible we bought for him is a study bible and he told Jackie that he reads it every day.
"We're so proud that he has the scholarship named for my father."
Interim head coach Kieran Donohue calls Jenkins "a great success story and hopefully there's a lot more to be written in that story at ODU. Last year, when he got the chance to play, he capitalized on it.
Chaunce Jenkins with Allen family members at an endowed scholarship banquet last year.
"He's played well this year. The results haven't exactly been what he wanted, but he's played very hard. He's an intense competitor. He's a good scorer and defender and a good teammate.
"He's trying his best to help us right the ship. I'm very proud of him and appreciate how hard he's played and how hard he's working."
Jenkins says he bears no ill will toward Wichita State, but clearly, he feels like should have played more.
"I was always capable of what I did this year when I was there," he said. "But that's all in the past.
"I think it just wasn't the right situation for me. ODU is the right situation.
"I'm blessed to be here."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: With a Little Help From His Family and Friends, Chaunce Jenkins has Found His Place with ODU Basketball
