By Max Sass, Sports Editor

Hofstra junior guard Charles Jenkins followed up a CAA Player of the Year season by winning his second straight Haggerty Award. The award goes to the best player in the Metropolitan New York Area, selected by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association.
“It means a lot,” Jenkins said. “It shows I continue to work as hard as I can.”

Jenkins averaged 20.6 points per game this past season as well as 4.5 rebounds per game and 3.9 assists per game. He is the fifth player in Hofstra history to win the award and the first to win it twice. “For me to get the award back-to-back means a lot,” Jenkins said. He was also very proud that the award showed how hard he worked over the summer after winning his first Haggerty Award.

Jenkins has another full season to try and win a third Haggerty Award, which has not been done since Chris Mullin of St. John’s won for the third year in a row in 1985. “I think I can [win a third],” Jenkins said. “I would never say there is something that I can’t do.”

Jenkins won both awards under Tom Pecora who has left Hofstra to take the head-coaching job at Fordham University. New Pride coach Tim Welsh has pledged to play an up-tempo style, which excited Jenkins. “I think the transition game is my game.” He expects his scoring averages to increase with the new offense.

Though all the individual awards flatter him, Jenkins was eager to talk about his team. “The goal I set for myself is for my team to play in the tournament,” he said. “For all the awards I have won, my team has never played in the tournament.”