Shooting After Practice: A JUCO Odyssey
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2025
Pages: 278
Edition: 1
Copyright: 2025
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Most casual fans don't realize that two-year college basketball, aka "JUCO," is the second-highest level of play after Division I. To win consistently at the JUCO level, you need a bunch of D-I players. But if they're D-I players, and they're at a two-year college, there's probably a reason.... Noted higher education writer and former championship basketball coach Rob Jenkins pulls back the curtain on that little-known world, weaving a story of triumph and hardship, humor and pathos, euphoric wins and humiliating defeats. His personal JUCO odyssey covered 13 years and three institutions in three different states, involving hundreds of players, coaches, and administrators. Along the way, he learned what it means to lead, to fail, and to get back up again.
Rob Jenkins is a college professor and the author of seven books for adults, including Shooting After Practice: A JUCO Odyssey, Family Man: The Art of Surviving Domestic Tranquility, The 9 Virtues of Exceptional Leaders, Think Better, Write Better, and Welcome to my Classroom. His children's story book, Jennifer's Monster, illustrated by Kentucky artist Millie Robinson, was released in 2024. Rob currently lives with his wife Bonnie outside of Atlanta, where they raised their four children.
"In this tale of competition on and off the court, Rob Jenkins weaves a story of his 13 years as honcho in the JUCO ranks, and quite a good one at that. Sports imbue lessons that those who do not compete may never learn, and Rob provides a full roster of lessons in this rollicking good read."
Stanley K. Ridgley, Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Management, Drexel University and author of Brutal Minds.
"Outside the bright lights of NCAA Division I basketball are thousands of coaches and players toiling away in relative obscurity in the junior college ranks. Rob Jenkins gives us an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at these often anonymous figures in small gyms and obscure towns with compassion, humor, and earned wisdom."
Matt Spivey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Department Chair at Arizona Christian University, former Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Grand Canyon University.
"Rob Jenkins has written a warm, well-written, and often funny story about his career as a junior college basketball coach. From humble beginnings to the roaring crowds of Panama City, Florida, Rob shares a hero's journey through triumph and setbacks. His candid autobiography reveals lessons learned on and off the court, including the power of teamwork, the pettiness of politics, and the sacrifices behind every victory. Jenkins has a lot of humor, wisdom, and heart, and he invites readers to experience the wins and losses of a life devoted to the game outside the glare of the major-college spotlight."
Marc Fitten, author of Valeria's Last Stand and Eliza's Kitchen
Most casual fans don't realize that two-year college basketball, aka "JUCO," is the second-highest level of play after Division I. To win consistently at the JUCO level, you need a bunch of D-I players. But if they're D-I players, and they're at a two-year college, there's probably a reason.... Noted higher education writer and former championship basketball coach Rob Jenkins pulls back the curtain on that little-known world, weaving a story of triumph and hardship, humor and pathos, euphoric wins and humiliating defeats. His personal JUCO odyssey covered 13 years and three institutions in three different states, involving hundreds of players, coaches, and administrators. Along the way, he learned what it means to lead, to fail, and to get back up again.
Rob Jenkins is a college professor and the author of seven books for adults, including Shooting After Practice: A JUCO Odyssey, Family Man: The Art of Surviving Domestic Tranquility, The 9 Virtues of Exceptional Leaders, Think Better, Write Better, and Welcome to my Classroom. His children's story book, Jennifer's Monster, illustrated by Kentucky artist Millie Robinson, was released in 2024. Rob currently lives with his wife Bonnie outside of Atlanta, where they raised their four children.
"In this tale of competition on and off the court, Rob Jenkins weaves a story of his 13 years as honcho in the JUCO ranks, and quite a good one at that. Sports imbue lessons that those who do not compete may never learn, and Rob provides a full roster of lessons in this rollicking good read."
Stanley K. Ridgley, Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Management, Drexel University and author of Brutal Minds.
"Outside the bright lights of NCAA Division I basketball are thousands of coaches and players toiling away in relative obscurity in the junior college ranks. Rob Jenkins gives us an insightful, behind-the-scenes look at these often anonymous figures in small gyms and obscure towns with compassion, humor, and earned wisdom."
Matt Spivey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of English and Department Chair at Arizona Christian University, former Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at Grand Canyon University.
"Rob Jenkins has written a warm, well-written, and often funny story about his career as a junior college basketball coach. From humble beginnings to the roaring crowds of Panama City, Florida, Rob shares a hero's journey through triumph and setbacks. His candid autobiography reveals lessons learned on and off the court, including the power of teamwork, the pettiness of politics, and the sacrifices behind every victory. Jenkins has a lot of humor, wisdom, and heart, and he invites readers to experience the wins and losses of a life devoted to the game outside the glare of the major-college spotlight."
Marc Fitten, author of Valeria's Last Stand and Eliza's Kitchen