Dominican's Deysha Smith-Jenkins Will Run Track for Connecticut

There's no question Dominican senior Deysha Smith-Jenkins is a phenomenal basketball player, but even she was surprised when she heard that the University of Connecticut was knocking at her door.

Turns out the Huskies — the finest women's college basketball program in the country — were more interested in Smith-Jenkins' track skills, and the two-sport athlete eventually decided to pursue her running dreams at the NCAA Division I university, which offered her a full scholarship. Smith-Jenkins said she loves basketball, but she is excited to put her running talents to use at her dream school.

"I've been blessed with a natural gift for running, and I'm happy to use it," she said. "I visited the campus, and I just knew it was my school. The campus, the people, the team – I just felt like I belonged there."

Smith-Jenkins signed her letter of intent with the University of Connecticut on Thursday afternoon in front of a room of family, friends and coaches.

At the ceremony, Smith-Jenkins recalled her days as a middle school student, debating whether she should attend Rufus King High School or Dominican High School. Although Dominican had a losing basketball team at the time, she chose the school because of the academic excellence and the opportunity to turn a bad team into a powerhouse.

When Deysha committed, others followed, and the team went on to and finished 19-1 this past year. Athletic Director Paul Wollersheim said Deysha led that revolution with her choice to attend Dominican.

"She had the courage and self-confidence to come here and turn that program around," he said.

Smith-Jenkins finished her four-year career as Dominican's all-time leading scorer with 1,479 career points, as well as a record 471 points scored in a single season, a record 37 points scored in a single game and a record 672 career rebounds. She was named to the Division 3 All-State Team in her junior and senior year.

Deysha has also earned her accolades on the track. , set the state record in the 200-yard dash and placed 3rd in the 400-yard dash. She said she aims to run in the 2016 Olympics.

Dominican track coach Ajamu Olaniyan said he admires not only Deysha's athletic ability but also her leadership, work ethic and consideration for her teammates.

"I've been coaching for 19 years and Deysha is bar-none the most talented athlete I've coached, and I've coached a lot of athletes at the high school level," he said. "She is head and shoulders above everyone."

Deysha's father, Derick, who is the coach at Milwaukee Vincent, has built a close relationship with his daughter through their shared interest in basketball, but he was more than happy about the next chapter of his daughter's life as a college track star.

"We're so proud of Deysha," he said. "The best is yet to come."