University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Kimora Jenkins
December 09, 2021 | Women's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
If Georgia women's basketball freshman Kimora Jenkins could play with anyone in history, it would be Skylar Diggins-Smith, the former Notre Dame star that's now tearing it up for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.
A 6-foot-1 guard from Long Island, N.Y., Jenkins comes from a basketball family. She has two brothers that play or played college basketball and her sister is as well. Yes, the pickup games growing up were quite intense.
During a recent Quick Chat, Jenkins talked about her first Georgia football game, her funniest teammate, her basketball family, why she admires Diggins-Smith, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What has the start of your college career been like? These are still different times because of the pandemic but has it been about what you expected?
Jenkins: Yes, and more. This team is amazing — everybody loves each other and we have great chemistry.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Jenkins: [Laughs] There are so many funny people on this team. The mix of personalities is what makes it beautiful, and everybody has a great sense of humor.
I would say, because I hang out with her the most, that Jill (fellow freshman Jillian Hollingshead) is the funniest. She's always making me laugh.
Frierson: As someone that grew up in Long Island, not exactly a college football hotbed, what was your first Georgia football game like?
Jenkins: It was crazy. They told me details about it and how the atmosphere was going to be kind of insane; being in that moment was really cool.
Frierson: When you think about home, what comes to mind?
Jenkins: I think about my family and lots of love, lots of people that I love to be around.
Frierson: What do you miss, whether it's in Long Island or something in New York City? This is obviously a different environment down here.
Jenkins: That's a good question. I've loved being here so much that I don't really think of home as often as people may think, considering how far it is. This feels like home here.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Jenkins: For me it's cheese [laughs]. I eat a lot of cheese, a lot of cheddar cheese. I put it on everything and I could eat it with every meal.
Frierson: What is the perfect cheese dish?
Jenkins: Mac and cheese, cooked in a specific with with a specific cheese. It's cheddar cheese only, I don't want any other cheese. People mix cheeses in their mac and cheese and that's cool, but my favorite is just cheddar cheese Kraft Mac & Cheese.
Frierson: Do you like the fancy mac and cheese, like with lobster or truffle, or do you prefer the basics?
Jenkins: I'm definitely basic when it comes to eating; my favorite thing to have with my mac and cheese is broccoli and boneless barbecue chicken. That's my favorite meal.
Frierson: What is it like growing up is a family of basketball players? Do you all talk about anything else?
Jenkins: [Laughs] In my house, there's not a lot of other things we talk about besides basketball. Since I was little it's always been basketball, basketball, basketball. It's a pretty competitive family.
Frierson: Does that competitiveness come out in other ways? If you play cards or board games do things get pretty intense?
Jenkins: Yes. Card games are a sport in my family. Even cooking, me and my sister are now in college and we are now starting to cook, so our other siblings are like, "I can cook better than you." And I'm like, "No, I can cook better than you." There's always that competitive piece in everything we talk about.
Frierson: What were the pickup basketball games like?
Jenkins: My family had a hoop outside of our house pretty much my whole life and that's where all the magic happened when we first started to play.
Frierson: Do you feel like you'd be here today if you didn't have the hoop and didn't have a bunch of siblings that also played?
Jenkins: No, I do not think I'd be here today without that. Growing up and watching my two older brothers play, watching my dad coach them, it was just a beautiful thing.
When I was little, I first wanted to play just because they were playing. I was like, "Why are you guys doing things without me?" But they told me no and my dad told me no, not until I got better. I couldn't see that court until I showed him that I could do something.
I started playing with my brothers and their friends and I got tougher, stronger and more confident. That's part of why I'm here today.
Frierson: If you could play with or against anyone in history, who would it be?
Jenkins: I'm picking my first ever favorite player of all-time for women's basketball, Skylar Diggins. I see heart, I see grit, I see talent — she's beautiful, she does it off the court, she does it on the court. She's just the overall total package.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
If Georgia women's basketball freshman Kimora Jenkins could play with anyone in history, it would be Skylar Diggins-Smith, the former Notre Dame star that's now tearing it up for the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA.
A 6-foot-1 guard from Long Island, N.Y., Jenkins comes from a basketball family. She has two brothers that play or played college basketball and her sister is as well. Yes, the pickup games growing up were quite intense.
During a recent Quick Chat, Jenkins talked about her first Georgia football game, her funniest teammate, her basketball family, why she admires Diggins-Smith, and much more.
Here's some of what she had to say:
Frierson: What has the start of your college career been like? These are still different times because of the pandemic but has it been about what you expected?
Jenkins: Yes, and more. This team is amazing — everybody loves each other and we have great chemistry.
Frierson: Who is the funniest person on the team?
Jenkins: [Laughs] There are so many funny people on this team. The mix of personalities is what makes it beautiful, and everybody has a great sense of humor.
I would say, because I hang out with her the most, that Jill (fellow freshman Jillian Hollingshead) is the funniest. She's always making me laugh.
Frierson: As someone that grew up in Long Island, not exactly a college football hotbed, what was your first Georgia football game like?
Jenkins: It was crazy. They told me details about it and how the atmosphere was going to be kind of insane; being in that moment was really cool.
Frierson: When you think about home, what comes to mind?
Jenkins: I think about my family and lots of love, lots of people that I love to be around.
Frierson: What do you miss, whether it's in Long Island or something in New York City? This is obviously a different environment down here.
Jenkins: That's a good question. I've loved being here so much that I don't really think of home as often as people may think, considering how far it is. This feels like home here.
Frierson: What's something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Jenkins: For me it's cheese [laughs]. I eat a lot of cheese, a lot of cheddar cheese. I put it on everything and I could eat it with every meal.
Frierson: What is the perfect cheese dish?
Jenkins: Mac and cheese, cooked in a specific with with a specific cheese. It's cheddar cheese only, I don't want any other cheese. People mix cheeses in their mac and cheese and that's cool, but my favorite is just cheddar cheese Kraft Mac & Cheese.
Frierson: Do you like the fancy mac and cheese, like with lobster or truffle, or do you prefer the basics?
Jenkins: I'm definitely basic when it comes to eating; my favorite thing to have with my mac and cheese is broccoli and boneless barbecue chicken. That's my favorite meal.
Frierson: What is it like growing up is a family of basketball players? Do you all talk about anything else?
Jenkins: [Laughs] In my house, there's not a lot of other things we talk about besides basketball. Since I was little it's always been basketball, basketball, basketball. It's a pretty competitive family.
Frierson: Does that competitiveness come out in other ways? If you play cards or board games do things get pretty intense?
Jenkins: Yes. Card games are a sport in my family. Even cooking, me and my sister are now in college and we are now starting to cook, so our other siblings are like, "I can cook better than you." And I'm like, "No, I can cook better than you." There's always that competitive piece in everything we talk about.
Frierson: What were the pickup basketball games like?
Jenkins: My family had a hoop outside of our house pretty much my whole life and that's where all the magic happened when we first started to play.
Frierson: Do you feel like you'd be here today if you didn't have the hoop and didn't have a bunch of siblings that also played?
Jenkins: No, I do not think I'd be here today without that. Growing up and watching my two older brothers play, watching my dad coach them, it was just a beautiful thing.
When I was little, I first wanted to play just because they were playing. I was like, "Why are you guys doing things without me?" But they told me no and my dad told me no, not until I got better. I couldn't see that court until I showed him that I could do something.
I started playing with my brothers and their friends and I got tougher, stronger and more confident. That's part of why I'm here today.
Frierson: If you could play with or against anyone in history, who would it be?
Jenkins: I'm picking my first ever favorite player of all-time for women's basketball, Skylar Diggins. I see heart, I see grit, I see talent — she's beautiful, she does it off the court, she does it on the court. She's just the overall total package.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
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