![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-06-at-1.55.57-PM.png\")
Jenkins sits in the bleachers among current students and athletes of Hillcrest High School in North Dallas. Photo Credit: Dallas ISD via Facebook https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/photo\/?fbid=1265802458920137&set=pcb.1265802762253440<\/a><\/p>\nHe became just the second NBA player in Hillcrest history to receive that honor, and the significance wasn\u2019t lost on him. Not because of the accolade itself, but because of everything it represented \u2014 the detours, the doubt, and the determination it took to arrive at this point.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s really just about persevering through everything,\u201d Jenkins told me. \u201cThe biggest thing for me is that my end goal never changed, no matter where I was. Even when I transferred schools, went JUCO, or went to different colleges, my goal was always to give myself a shot at the NBA, no matter what that looked like or what route I had to take.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Path to Greatness<\/p>\n
That route was anything but straightforward. Jenkins\u2019 journey took him from Hillcrest to Pacific, then to Odessa College at the junior college level, before stops at Iona and St. John\u2019s. With each move came new circumstances, new environments, and new challenges \u2014 but never a shift in mindset.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery place I was, I always knew my goal was higher than where I was at the moment,\u201d he said. \u201cI never let my habits or my work ethic waver, because I knew how hard it was just to get to that point.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even after proving himself in the Big East, Jenkins went undrafted in 2024. For many, that\u2019s a breaking point. For him, it was just another adjustment. Detroit offered a two-way opportunity, and Jenkins stayed ready, trusting that preparation would eventually meet opportunity.<\/p>\n
The Hillcrest ceremony also highlighted something bigger than one individual story. Jenkins is part of a growing Dallas\u2013Fort Worth pipeline inside Detroit\u2019s locker room. He shares the roster with fellow DFW products Cade Cunningham (Bowie High School, Arlington), Marcus Sasser (Red Oak High School), and Ron Holland (Duncanville High School). Together, they reflect the depth and competitiveness of North Texas basketball.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always tell people \u2014 and they laugh \u2014 that Dallas is the new Mecca,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cWe weren\u2019t known for basketball for a long time. We\u2019re a football state, we dominate football, but we really have everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
That belief is rooted in experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust seeing how competitive this state and the metroplex are \u2014 that\u2019s proof in the pudding,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you come here and play sports, you know the level you have to perform at to get where you\u2019re trying to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Putting On For The City<\/p>\n
For Jenkins, watching other DFW players chase \u2014 and sometimes reach \u2014 the league only reinforces that pride.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo see everybody flourishing and chasing their dreams \u2014 maybe they make it, maybe they\u2019re not there yet \u2014 but we\u2019ve all been at this level and we\u2019ve all played at a high level,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just good to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through all of it, Jenkins stays grounded in the people who carried him through the toughest stretches.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_2561.jpeg\")
Current Hillcrest athletes and students sit alongside Jenkins in the bleachers facing the court where the Pistons star once played in his youth. Photo Credit: Rashad Miller<\/p>\n
\u201cThe circle is everything,\u201d he said. \u201cYour circle and your village are what really keep you going and keep you grounded. All those times when you want to say, \u2018Man, this is tough\u2019 \u2014 because it is tough to do it by yourself \u2014 it\u2019s really you, God, and your family saying the right things to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
That support matters even more as success starts to show up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey keep you motivated and grounded, even when you have a little success,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cHaving people along the way who genuinely believe in you and genuinely want to see you do well \u2014 that meant everything to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s intentional about naming that village.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was Damien Robinson, Coach Hart, my family \u2014 my mom, my brother, my sister,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cThey were the ones who really saw it. They helped raise me when there was nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
And the gratitude, he says, never expires.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can never repay them for that,\u201d Jenkins said. \u201cThey\u2019re always going to be taken care of, and I\u2019m always going to keep them included in everything I do, because that\u2019s all I had. That\u2019s all I know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even as his NBA role continues to grow, Jenkins knows exactly where home is.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re trying to do something big for the city,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing and I\u2019m sure I\u2019m going to raise my kids here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staying Ready: From the 214 to the 313<\/p>\n
Entering January, Jenkins had already begun carving out a real role with Detroit. In limited but meaningful minutes, he was providing steady ball-handling, on-ball defense, and timely scoring \u2014 averaging around seven points and nearly three assists per game when called upon. The trust was building.<\/p>\n
Then came the night everything crystallized.<\/p>\n
Daniss Jenkins had the quarter of a lifetime. On January 4, the Pistons\u2019 two-way signee erupted for 21 points in the second quarter, going a perfect 7-for-7 from the field and 6-for-6 from three. In just 25 minutes, Jenkins finished with 25 points, delivering one of the most efficient and explosive quarters by a reserve in franchise history.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_5524.jpeg\")
Jenkins had an electric quarter, displaying skilled ball-handling and control with the Pistons against the Mavericks on December 18, 2025. Photo by Darah Hubbard <\/p>\n
It didn\u2019t feel fluky. It felt earned. The calm. The control. The confidence. Every transfer, every JUCO gym, every moment of uncertainty showed up in that stretch. Not rushed. Not surprised. Ready.<\/p>\n
It echoed everything he had already told me in Dallas \u2014 that the goal never changed, even when the route did. Those habits matter. That belief compounds. When preparation finally meets opportunity, there\u2019s no adjustment period required.<\/p>\n
From a jersey dedication at Hillcrest to a historic NBA quarter weeks later, Daniss Jenkins\u2019 journey continues to unfold as proof that the path doesn\u2019t have to be straight \u2014 as long as the belief never wavers.<\/p>\n
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