Meet Kris Jenkins: The man behind the greatest shot in NCAA history

By Edcel Panganiban August 29, 2022 11:10

Kris Jenkins’ name will forever be remembered in college basketball history. After all, the proud Fan Arch athlete immortalized himself by draining a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win the 2016 NCAA Championship.

It doesn’t get any better than that. When the stakes were at their highest, Kris Jenkins showed ice in his veins and delivered.

Kris Jenkins is considered royalty in the Villanova Wildcats community. He spent four seasons with the program and continues to be one of its most beloved alumni even to this day.

The 6-foot-6 small forward was a solid reserve for the team in his freshman and sophomore seasons from 2013-15, notching 4.1 and 6.3 points, respectively.

He was given a bigger role in his junior season and repaid his coach’s trust in a big way. Kris Jenkins took a huge scoring leap by averaging 19.7 points in the Big East Tournament, capped off by a career-best 31 points in a win over DePaul.

Kris Jenkins deservingly made it to the All-Tournament team. He saved his best in the NCAA championship game against North Carolina.

UNC’s Marcus Paige drilled a clutch, game-tying 3-pointer near the end of regulation to even things up at 74 apiece. It seemed like the game was headed for overtime up until Kris Jenkins put on his superman cape and saved the day.

After catching a pinpoint pass from teammate Ryan Arcidiacono, Kris Jenkins let it fly without hesitation and sent the Tar Heels home with a buzzer-beating trey as time expired.

Relive the gutsy moment below:

Kris Jenkins’ iconic moment is also immortalized by Fan Arch through our merchandise bearing “The Shot” designs. Come and check out our wide array of Kris Jenkins-inspired clothing line.

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Kris Jenkins returned for his senior year and posted averages of 13.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, while draining 36.0 percent from long range and 86.2 percent from the charity stripe.

All in all, he scored 1,383 points in his career with Villanova, which ranks 34th on the program’s all-time list.

Kris Jenkins failed to get drafted in the 2017 NBA Draft but was picked 14th overall by the Sioux Falls SkyForce in the G-League draft the following year. The sweet-shooting winger also had two stints overseas with the Yakima SumKings in the NAPB and German Club Eisbären Bremerhaven.

While Kris Jenkins is still young and good enough to play ball overseas, the opportunity to give back to his alma mater was too hard to pass up. He accepted Villanova’s offer to be the team’s assistant in the student-athlete development field in 2020.

Kris Jenkins and 800+ professional athletes and influencers have personalized merchandise on the Fan Arch’s website!

Fan Arch aims to transcend the narrative by making it easier to bridge the gap between athletes, influencers, and their fans. Check out our creative and personalized collection through Fanarch.com.