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Feb. 28—Reece Jenkin, the longtime Colfax High School boys basketball coach who led the Bulldogs to two state titles, died Friday following a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Jenkin, 45, is survived by his wife, Breanne, and his three children, 17-year-old Adrik, 15-year-old Allie and 12-year-old Ryker.
Adrik, a senior, and Allie, a freshman, are both standout players on the Colfax boys and girls basketball teams, which began their Washington Class 2B state tournament runs Friday night at West Valley High School in Spokane Valley.
In a profound scene, Allie Jenkin scored 41 points, including each of the Bulldogs' 29 first-half points, in a 61-48 win over Okanogan to extend Colfax's girls basketball season.
Adrik Jenkin, the three-time Northeast 2B League Player of the Year, surpassed 2,000 career points with a 34-point performance in Colfax's 96-49 regional round win over Liberty Bell later Friday night.
The win propelled Colfax to the 2B boys quarterfinals on March 5.
Reece Jenkin, the 17-year head coach of the Colfax Bulldogs, led his teams to more than 300 wins, eight consecutive state tournament appearances and state titles in 2012 and '24.
This year, the Bulldog boys are undefeated at 24-0 and hold the No. 1 seed in the state 2B tournament.
Jenkin was a lifelong Inland Northwest basketball savant, playing at Reardan High School, Big Bend Community College and Whitworth University.
He received his Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis on Dec. 11 and learned that it had metastasized to his liver. Jenkin underwent chemotherapy, but had recently stopped treatment and entered hospice, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Since news of Jenkin's diagnosis, the Inland Northwest basketball community rallied around Reece and the Jenkin family.
At the West Valley High School-hosted Eagle Holiday Classic in December in Spokane Valley, Wash., participating schools wore "Fight" T-shirts with Jenkin's name printed with a purple ribbon in the "I" and took an on-court photo with Jenkin.
Colfax hosted a "Purple Out" game in which hundreds of community members packed the Colfax gym to watch the Bulldogs beat Liberty of Spangle on Jan. 10. The visiting Liberty fans wore purple shirts, too.
Jenkin attended Colfax's Purple Out game and coached the team, just like he did for nearly two decades prior.
"Sitting next to him tonight and seeing how packed our gym is — that meant a ton to (Jenkin)," Colfax assistant coach Ben Aune, Jenkin's longtime friend and assistant coach who has led the team in his absence, said that day.
Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM
On a number of Colfax's road trips, the host schools hosted Purple Outs of their own, expressing support for Jenkin.
Some teams even had Purple Outs in games not even involving Colfax, like in a game between Napavine and Adna on Jan. 29 where both sides wore the purple shirts.
The Northeast 2B League South named Jenkin its coach of the year on Feb. 21, recognizing the Colfax coach on the day that his Bulldogs beat Northwest Christian to win the league tournament championship and remain undefeated.
Aune said that the standing ovation for Jenkin lasted over a minute in the West Valley gym.
"It was a pretty awesome thing," Aune said. "Yes, this basketball game was great, but that's a moment I'll never forget."
Reece's son, Adrik, is committed to playing basketball at NCAA Division II Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, Calif.).
Jenkin, who was also a coach for the Hooptown Elite club program in Spokane, was a beloved member of the Inland Northwest coaching community.
Lewis-Clark State men's basketball coach Austin Johnson, who recruited one of Jenkin's players, John Lustig, called Reece a "humble and conscientious and a hard-working dude," in a Jan. 20 conversation with the Tribune.
"Coach Jenkin — I can't say enough good things about him as a person, as a coach," Johnson said. "He gets the most out of his kids. I think he strives to give the kids the best environment and best experience that he can at a small school. And he loves his players."
Four years after playing for Jenkin, Lustig has led the LC State Warriors to a Cascade Conference regular-season title as one of the finest players in the league.
Lustig said that Jenkin's advice and defensive coaching in particular prepared him for the collegiate level.
Jenkin's "passion and his willingness to do whatever it takes to win," defined him as a coach, said Lustig, who attended Colfax's 'Purple Out' game in January.
"Thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Jenkin's family," Lewiston boys basketball coach Brooks Malm wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "My favorite part of moving home was summer league games and getting to know the coaches who I had so much respect for growing up. He will always be one of the best. Till next time coach."
Donations to the Jenkin family can be made at gofundme.com/f/support-reeces-fight-against-pancreatic-cancer.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, [email protected], or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Continue reading...
Jenkin, 45, is survived by his wife, Breanne, and his three children, 17-year-old Adrik, 15-year-old Allie and 12-year-old Ryker.
Adrik, a senior, and Allie, a freshman, are both standout players on the Colfax boys and girls basketball teams, which began their Washington Class 2B state tournament runs Friday night at West Valley High School in Spokane Valley.
In a profound scene, Allie Jenkin scored 41 points, including each of the Bulldogs' 29 first-half points, in a 61-48 win over Okanogan to extend Colfax's girls basketball season.
Adrik Jenkin, the three-time Northeast 2B League Player of the Year, surpassed 2,000 career points with a 34-point performance in Colfax's 96-49 regional round win over Liberty Bell later Friday night.
The win propelled Colfax to the 2B boys quarterfinals on March 5.
Reece Jenkin, the 17-year head coach of the Colfax Bulldogs, led his teams to more than 300 wins, eight consecutive state tournament appearances and state titles in 2012 and '24.
This year, the Bulldog boys are undefeated at 24-0 and hold the No. 1 seed in the state 2B tournament.
Jenkin was a lifelong Inland Northwest basketball savant, playing at Reardan High School, Big Bend Community College and Whitworth University.
He received his Stage 4 pancreatic cancer diagnosis on Dec. 11 and learned that it had metastasized to his liver. Jenkin underwent chemotherapy, but had recently stopped treatment and entered hospice, according to the Spokesman-Review.
Since news of Jenkin's diagnosis, the Inland Northwest basketball community rallied around Reece and the Jenkin family.
At the West Valley High School-hosted Eagle Holiday Classic in December in Spokane Valley, Wash., participating schools wore "Fight" T-shirts with Jenkin's name printed with a purple ribbon in the "I" and took an on-court photo with Jenkin.
Colfax hosted a "Purple Out" game in which hundreds of community members packed the Colfax gym to watch the Bulldogs beat Liberty of Spangle on Jan. 10. The visiting Liberty fans wore purple shirts, too.
Jenkin attended Colfax's Purple Out game and coached the team, just like he did for nearly two decades prior.
"Sitting next to him tonight and seeing how packed our gym is — that meant a ton to (Jenkin)," Colfax assistant coach Ben Aune, Jenkin's longtime friend and assistant coach who has led the team in his absence, said that day.
Daily headlines, straight to your inboxRead it online first and stay up-to-date, delivered daily at 7 AM
On a number of Colfax's road trips, the host schools hosted Purple Outs of their own, expressing support for Jenkin.
Some teams even had Purple Outs in games not even involving Colfax, like in a game between Napavine and Adna on Jan. 29 where both sides wore the purple shirts.
The Northeast 2B League South named Jenkin its coach of the year on Feb. 21, recognizing the Colfax coach on the day that his Bulldogs beat Northwest Christian to win the league tournament championship and remain undefeated.
Aune said that the standing ovation for Jenkin lasted over a minute in the West Valley gym.
"It was a pretty awesome thing," Aune said. "Yes, this basketball game was great, but that's a moment I'll never forget."
Reece's son, Adrik, is committed to playing basketball at NCAA Division II Vanguard University (Costa Mesa, Calif.).
Jenkin, who was also a coach for the Hooptown Elite club program in Spokane, was a beloved member of the Inland Northwest coaching community.
Lewis-Clark State men's basketball coach Austin Johnson, who recruited one of Jenkin's players, John Lustig, called Reece a "humble and conscientious and a hard-working dude," in a Jan. 20 conversation with the Tribune.
"Coach Jenkin — I can't say enough good things about him as a person, as a coach," Johnson said. "He gets the most out of his kids. I think he strives to give the kids the best environment and best experience that he can at a small school. And he loves his players."
Four years after playing for Jenkin, Lustig has led the LC State Warriors to a Cascade Conference regular-season title as one of the finest players in the league.
Lustig said that Jenkin's advice and defensive coaching in particular prepared him for the collegiate level.
Jenkin's "passion and his willingness to do whatever it takes to win," defined him as a coach, said Lustig, who attended Colfax's 'Purple Out' game in January.
"Thoughts and prayers go out to Coach Jenkin's family," Lewiston boys basketball coach Brooks Malm wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "My favorite part of moving home was summer league games and getting to know the coaches who I had so much respect for growing up. He will always be one of the best. Till next time coach."
Donations to the Jenkin family can be made at gofundme.com/f/support-reeces-fight-against-pancreatic-cancer.
Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, [email protected], or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.
Continue reading...
