Cal State Northridge senior point guard Josh Jenkins is “resting in stable condition at the California Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering injuries in a single-car accident” Saturday night, according to the school’s Monday news release.
The driver was killed.
Obviously, Jenkins is out indefinitely. For continued updates, check out The Matador Score, a blog run by Alonso Tacanga, the sports editor of the Daily Sundial, CSUN’s student newspaper.
As the Los Angeles Daily News pointed out, it’s the second big loss for the Matadors this season, as senior shooting guard Deon Tresvant, CSUN’s leading scorer, was arrested in early January for allegedly participating in the theft of more than $6,600 in merchandise from a Best Buy.
Aside from the more immediate, pressing concerns affecting Jenkins and his family, his loss could be a blow the Matadors may not be able to recover from on the court.
CSUN, predicted as the Big West Conference favorite in preseason coaches and media polls, was finally starting to click, and has won six straight — including two over Cal Poly.
Jenkins has been at the center of it, averaging 10.2 points and six assists per game this year. His assists average was No. 1 in the Big West and No. 17 in the country entering the week. He was listed as one of three “under-the-radar players who demand your attention” in the December 2008 issue of SLAM magazine.
Expect the wild conference race to get even more unclear. In terms of overall victories, just four wins separate the Big West’s leader, Pacific (14-9, 7-5), from its No. 7, UC Santa Barbara (10-13, 4-7).