Many high school basketball fans will remember

Keith Jennings from his days as a hoops star for the Culpeper High

School. 

Jennings led the Devils to many victories and was named first team all-state

following both his junior and senior seasons.

After graduating from Culpeper High

school in 1987, Keith "Mister" Jennings was the main catalyst and most visible player

during an unprecedented streak of three-straight Southern Conference

Championships for the East Tennessee State men's basketball team from 1989 to

1991. During that time, Jennings not only led the Buccaneers to team successes

that included three-straight visits to the NCAA Tournament and a No. 10 national

ranking in 1991, but he also became the most decorated individual player in ETSU

athletic history.

While he still ranks No. 4 all-time on the NCAA career list

for assists with 983, Jennings was known across the country as one of the

preeminent point guards in all of NCAA basketball. However, Jennings was not

only a distributor of the basketball. He finished No. 2 all-time on the ETSU

scoring list with 1,988 points, and shot a remarkable 59 percent from the floor

as a senior – including a sparkling 59 percent from 3-point-range which led the

nation in 1991. He ranks second all-time on the NCAA career list for 3-point

field goal percentage, hitting on 49.3 percent of his shots from beyond the

arc.

Amidst all those achievements came an extensive list of awards and

honors. Jennings was named the winner of the Naismith Award in 1991, which goes

to the nation's top player under six feet. In addition, he was selected as the

Southern Conference Player of the Year, the Southern Conference Tournament MVP,

and was named All-America by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the

U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and the Associated Press.

Mister's

No. 22 jersey was retired by ETSU in November 27, 2004 on what the school dubbed

"Keith 'Mister' Jennings Day."

Jennings was taken aback when his number

was retired. He was surrounded by former teammates, family and friends.
"It

was as overwhelming a basketball experience as I've ever had," Jennings said.

"It just felt great."

"Mister was probably the smartest player I've ever

been around," English said. "He was dedicated and team oriented. He was a true

example of an extension of a coach on the floor."

"Mister was our

leader," said former ETSU teammate Rodney English. "We just

followed."

After his college days, Mister played professionally in both

Europe and the United States for 13 seasons, including a three-year stint with

the NBA's Golden State Warriors (1992-95) and a one-year stop with the NBA's

Denver Nuggets (1996-97).

Today, Mister is the head varsity basketball

coach at Highland School in Warrenton, Va. He and his wife Rachel have two

children, Keith Jr and Kaycee.

Visit Mister's website: LINK