Jenna Kallenberg '20 Recruiting Profile

My dad has been a basketball coach for almost 20 years,  so some of my first memories are of being in a gym.  I spent afternoons at practice and summers in team camp. I even learned how to ride a bike in a high school gym. I didn't start playing until after some of my friends.  I had already fallen in love with soccer. My parents finally told me if I didn't at least try it, that I couldn't play soccer anymore. So I played my first game at 8 years old. I was hooked right from the start.  

My dream for a long time has been to play college basketball. I play basketball at William Blount High School, and made Varsity as a freshman. I feel I have a great work ethic, and will do what it takes to help my team win.  I love to play basketball. It's not just a sport for me. It is a part of what makes me who I am today. I strive to be a great teammate. Helping them on and off the court is a priority for me. When you play with people for long periods of time, you get to know them well, and they become family.  What sets me a part is that I play not only for me, but for my coaches and my teammates. Their success is mine, too. It is so easy in this process to think about yourself, but the best part of playing is being a part of something bigger than you. I am just as happy when my teammates have success as when I have it. Win or lose, we are in it together.

Even though I have a deep love of the game, academics have always come before sports. Both my parents have been educators, and have taught me the value of an education. I put as much effort into my studies as I do into basketball.  I know I will not play the game for the rest of my life.  As a freshman, I enrolled in the AP/Honors program. Balancing the commitments of school, community, and basketball was definitely a learning experience, but I am better for it. I hope to continue playing in college, and to find the right fit for me and my educational future. My goal is to find a place where I can play basketball that has a team and family feel, and that has the right educational opportunities for me that will help me be successful as an adult.