Getting to Know – Montverde HC Special Jennings
One of the hottest names in Girls/Womens Basketball coaching right now is Special Jennings. After starting off the season on a tear, winning 13 straight games including being undefeated in the Insider Exposure Thanksgiving Classic and She Got Game Atlanta, Montverde suffered their first defeat of the season versus one of the top teams in the country Lake Highland Prep. Despite this set back, Montverde is still ranked #1 in the country and the state of Florida by Maxpreps computer rankings.
I had the opportunity to talk to Special prior to the Lake Highland game and get to know her a bit better. Hopefully through my interview some of you get to know her better too. Special was easy to chat with and you can expect her to be a prominent name in Women’s Basketball for many years to come.
Special tell us about your background –
I grew up in Cleveland, OH and graduated from Lutheran East after playing my first 3 years at East Tech, where Barb Turner who went on to UConn played. I followed one of my coaches after my junior year who went over to Lutheran East. Growing up I always knew I wanted to play at Ohio St., but I formed a bond with Tashia Phillips and Amber Harris from the Family (AAU Program out of Indianapolis), and we decided we had an amazing opportunity at Xavier to do something different.
For those who don’t know, when Special was at Xavier they were routinely a Top 5-10 team in the country…I asked Special about playing for Kevin McGuff and Mike Neighbors, 2 of the top coaches in Women’s D1.
I learned a lot from Coach McGuff and Coach Neighbors and all my coaches and coaches I worked for. I’ve been really fortunate to play and work with many coaches and get many perspectives. Coach Neighbors was such a great guy but was so detailed and so analytical.
So after Xavier how did you get into coaching?
Well at first I went overseas and played professionally, I was in Helsinki Finland for 2 years and then Germany. In 2013 I was offered a spot with Mike Bradbury on staff at Wright St. and then had the opportunity to be an assistant at Augusta University (the school has changed names a few times). I was there for 3 years with Nate Teymer and only left, when he left for family reasons. At the time I knew Flagler (then) HC Erika Lang Montgonery from being in the same league as them and she offered me a spot at Flagler. From there I moved up as an assistant in D1 at UIC.
Why did you want to be a coach?
I wanted to be a coach for what basketball has done for me. It gave me an opportunity to go to college, get a degree, see the world. Coaching was a way for me to pour back into kids and help girls like I was, have opportunities in life.
Having paid your dues at the college level, working your way up as an assistant, what has the transition to being a Head Coach been like?
Watching, learning and working with multiple head coaches and playing for a number of coaches really prepared me, because I had the opportunity to see many different things, some good, some not so good and take the things I really liked from each coach I was playing for or coaching with. The hardest part about going to the level I’m at now is that you have to manage every aspect of the program from top to bottom. I’m hands on, and involved in everything we do at Montverde.
MBB at Montverde has been a well known entity for years and always has one of the top HS boys programs in the country, what are your plans to bring MVA to the national forefront and keep them there?
I think what they have done and continue to do year after year is phenomenal. I do not want to compare the two programs because we are totally different, but of course I want the girls program to have that household name. I’m trying to build a house and they’ll come, build a foundation here and really work on development. When I first got here my focus was to gain the trust of the players and then hold them and myself to a high standard.
Tell us about your team and the programs overall prospects for the future.
We have a well balanced team, I don’t want a team centered around 1 person or some superstar. I want to keep things well balanced, we have a ton of capable players from Mariana to Mrjacle on down the line, everyone that’s part of the program has the ability to contribute on any given night. Having a balanced team means we work hard to get them to play together as a team and be unselfish through college level practices.
What are your future goals….5 years, 10 years from now where would you like to be?
I’d like to have won a National Championship or more than 1 for the program, but you know things change, year to year I just want the program to get better…I’m big on development, build on little things and maybe start a developmental program here.
Do rankings matter to you?
Not at all, I don’t care, what I care about is how we play. If we perform the way we are capable of and hold ourselves to a high standard the winning and the rankings will take care of itself. That’s what matters to me.
Ok last question, what’s something the average person wouldn’t know about Special Jennings that you are willing to share with us?
I love children, I’m like auntie of the year, I love my nieces and nephews. People probably would never guess I also love HGTV and house flipping shows, interior decor and that type of thing.
During my interview with Special, she shared some interesting personal insights.
She mentioned she likes to Occasionally go for a Hike, this really helps improving the fitness. She advised the newbies to keep a good pair Best Climbing Shoes and never miss a chance to Hike. Only a few people know that apart from her passion for basketball, she also pays close attention to the well-being of her players. When discussing player health, she emphasized the importance of proper footwear, especially for those with flat feet. Special understands that flat feet can potentially lead to foot and ankle issues, affecting a player’s performance on the court. To address this, she encourages her players, particularly those with flat feet, to invest in the best basketball shoes that provide optimal support and stability. As Montverde’s head coach, Special values the well-being and performance of her players, by emphasizing the importance of proper footwear, including the best basketball shoes for flat feet, she demonstrates her commitment to helping her players thrive on and off the court. With her exceptional coaching skills, dedication to player development, and attention to detail, it is clear that Special Jennings is not only shaping Montverde’s basketball program but also guiding her players towards success in every aspect of the game.