Richmond hires Marcus Jenkins as assistant basketball coach

The University of Richmond men’s basketball program has hired Marcus Jenkins as assistant coach, head coach Chris Mooney announced today.

Jenkins comes to Richmond from Princeton University where he served in the same role. He previously worked on the Spider staff as Director of Basketball Operations from 2007-11.

“We are thrilled to bring Marcus Jenkins back to Richmond as our assistant coach,” head coach Chris Mooney said. “We know the energy that Marcus brings to the job, and have seen his growth in this industry. He is ready to come into this program and make a big impact in recruiting, game-planning and coaching our student-athletes.”

In Jenkins’ years at Princeton from 2011 to this spring, he helped the Tigers to winning seasons every year, and appearances in the CBI in 2014 and 2012. In 2014, Princeton averaged 70.2 points per game, the most for any Tiger team since 1972. That squad set a new program record with 287 three-pointers.

Jenkins coached the 2013 Ivy League Player of the Year in Ian Hummer, who graduated as Princeton’s second-leading scorer behind the legendary Bill Bradley ’65.

That season, Jenkins was one of 14 college coaches selected to take part in the NCAA Black Coaches and Administrators (BCA) Achieving Coaching Excellence (ACE) program. The four-day program was committed to developing young coaches in areas of leadership, communications, campus and community relations, media training and program management.

His first experience in college coaching came in 2007, when Mooney hired Jenkins at Richmond as the Director of Basketball Operations. In his four years on staff, Jenkins helped Richmond to postseason appearances every season including an NCAA at-large bid in 2010 and an Atlantic 10 championship and Sweet 16 appearance in 2011.

“I am truly excited to return to Richmond as an assistant coach,” Jenkins said. “Coach Mooney has built a national program in Richmond, and I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to that program once again. Being a part of a family and program that values success and commitment to one another is very important to me. Richmond is that program.”

A 2004 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Jenkins played basketball under Mooney who was then serving as the Falcons’ associate head coach. Jenkins led Air Force to the NCAA Tournament in 2004, the school’s first tourney appearance since 1962. His hard work and unselfish play earned him the team’s Falcon Award for that season.

After graduating, Jenkins served his three-year Air Force commitment in Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls, Mont., as a logistics officer. He also worked as an assistant coach at Fairfield (Mont.) High School in 2006-07.

Jenkins was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force as a first lieutenant in 2007.

He and his wife, Melissa, have one daughter, Malia.