SAN ANTONIO — Following a historic 2023-24 UTSA women's basketball season, forwards Elyssa Coleman and Jordyn Jenkins have officially decided to exercise their COVID year and return to UTSA for their redshirt senior seasons, as announced by head coach Karen Aston on Friday.
"I'm pleased and thrilled to announce the return of Elyssa Coleman and Jordyn Jenkins for next season of Roadrunner Women's Basketball," said Aston. "Both players bring a depth of importance to the function of our basketball team, from the pure skill and talent that we see in the greatness of Jenkins to the dominating effort and presence in the paint that Coleman brings. Building and re-branding a program in the portal age is incredibly hard when players constantly leave … I'm so excited that these two young women have the desire and commitment to stay at UTSA and help to continue to move the needle."
Coming off a 2023-24 campaign that saw the first national postseason victory in program history, Coleman decided to return, stating, "I chose to come back to UTSA because I feel like even though we made history there were still some goals we had that didn't get accomplished, on top of the fact that I love our coaching staff … so I figured why not come back and finish what we started."
After initially signing for Aston at Texas, Coleman transferred to UTSA as a redshirt freshman and has become one of the program's best. Her defensive performance this past season was nothing short of phenomenal, blocking 45 shots and swiping 23 steals. Her prowess on the glass was equally impressive, pulling down 7.2 rebounds per game and 152 on the season. Coleman’s contributions have been instrumental in UTSA's success, helping to hold opponents to a 36.4% shooting clip that ranked 19th in the NCAA. Her rebounding numbers have also been a key factor, contributing to the Roadrunner's plus-8.2 rebound margin, which finished 13th nationally, and 44.5 rebounds per game slotted the squad sixth. She delivered a standout performance against Wichita State in UTSA's inaugural American Athletic Conference win, scoring 32 points with 19 rebounds to earn a spot on the NCAA's Starting Five for the week. This season, she joined UTSA's 500 rebound club, became the Roadrunner's all-time blocking leader, and is just 120 points away from scoring 1,000 in her collegiate career.
Meanwhile, Jenkins was sidelined for most of the campaign due to an offseason injury. Upon the announcement, she commented, "Four years down as a collegiate athlete and being a part of the UTSA Athletics community has allowed me tremendous growth. Returning for my final season here at UTSA was a no-brainer. The coaching staff and my teammates' love and support leave me with endless opportunities. I'm glad to call UTSA home for another season."
She played in the final 12 games of the season and hit the ground running, immediately winning the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week Award. En route to the accolade, she charted 11 points and seven rebounds against Tulsa ahead of a 29-point game at North Texas. In total, she averaged 17.1 ppg at a 47.9% clip, to go along with 6.9 rpg, 13 blocks, and 15 steals.
Next season, she'll be looking to add to an already full trophy case that features the 2022-23 C-USA Player and Newcomer of the Year awards. Her 659 points from that season serve as the UTSA school record, and she's posted 11 double-doubles and 17 games with over 20 points scored.
Keep up with UTSA Women's Basketball on goutsa.com and by following the program on Facebook at /UTSAWBB, X (Twitter) @UTSAWBB, and on Instagram @UTSA_WBB.
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