Catching Up With Keith Mister Jennings
Many high school basketball fans will remember
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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
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
Jennings was taken aback when his number
was retired. He was surrounded by former teammates, family and friends.
"It
"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
"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
"Mister was our
leader," said former ETSU teammate Rodney English. "We just
followed."
After his college days, Mister played professionally in both
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
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