Jenkins named SEC Player of the Week

Vanderbilt junior guard John Jenkins was named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after outstanding performances in the Commodores road wins at Ole Miss and Georgia.

The Gallatin native averaged 27 points in the two contests, and posted one of the more efficient shooting stretches from the field this season. Jenkins was 81.3-percent from the floor, converting on 13-of-16 shots including a staggering 10-of-12 from behind the three-point line. The All-American candidate was also 18-of-21 from the free throw line.

He scored 26 points against Ole Miss on Thursday, a 102-76 win for Vanderbilt. He set a new career-high with 12 made free throws. On Sunday, he poured in 28 points in Vanderbilt's 61-52 comeback win at Georgia. He converted on 8-of-11 from the field, including 6-of-8 from three. He also made all six of his free throw attempts, grabbed four rebounds, dished out a pair of assists, blocked a shot and registered three steals in 38 minutes of play.

Seeking to become the league's first leading scorer in consecutive years since LSU's Ronnie Henderson in 1995-1996, Jenkins is averaging 20.1 points a game this season and is shooting 49.3-percent from the field. Only 11 men have ever led the SEC in scoring in back-to-back years. Jenkins would become the first Commodore to do so.

Considered one of the nation's premier three-point shooters, Jenkins 102 makes ranks him tops nationally with just a handful of weeks to go in the regular season. His 274 career three-pointers ranks him 13th all-time in SEC history and fifth all-time at Vanderbilt.

The award is the first for Jenkins this season and third for his career. He received the honor twice last season. He was also named SEC Freshman of the Year on three occasions during the 2009-2010 season.

Vanderbilt returns to Memorial Gym on Wednesday against the struggling South Carolina Gamecocks. On Saturday, the Commodores will get another crack at No.1 ranked Kentucky in Rupp Arena.