Fernandez Adds Jenkins as Assistant Coach

Dillon "DJ" Jenkins has been named Assistant Coach at Miami Dade by new Head Coach Jorge Fernandez, longtime high major D1 assistant. DJ was previously at Florida Southwestern as an assistant coach under Eric Murphy. In his lone season in Fort Myers, FSW was 18-5 and runners up in the Southern Conference before reaching the Final Four at the FCSAA State Tournament. He was instrumental in recruiting, academic monitoring, scheduling, and fundraising at Florida Southwestern. He contributed to the development of five Division I players: Terry Roberts (Bradley), Kario Oquendo (Georgia), CJ Lane (Eastern Illinois), Jaden Campbell (Samford), and Mohamed Sylla (Detroit). In addition, FSW placed four players on the All-Southern Conference First Team, as well one member on the All-Southern Conference Second Team. He also coached one FCSAA All-State player (Terry Roberts) and three FCSAA Region VIII State Tournament All-Tournament team members (Roberts, Oquendo, Campbell). Prior to Florida Southwestern, he spent one season as Top Assistant and Recruiting Coordinator at Eastern Florida State College. At Eastern Florida, he helped the Titans post a 22-11 record, capturing their 8th straight conference championship as well as an appearance in the final four of the FCSAA Region VIII State Tournament. In addition to the team accolades, he also coached one FCSAA Region VII all-state player, two first-team All Mid-Florida conference players, four second-team All Mid-Florida conference members, and one FCSAA Region VIII All-Tournament team member. During his tenure, he contributed to the development of four Division I players, including three SEC signees: Osayi Osifo (Florida); Jonathan Ned & Mikal Starks (Georgia); as well as Calvin Poulina (Bethune-Cookman). Before arriving in Melbourne, Jenkins served two seasons at Southwestern Community College in Iowa, one as Associate Head Coach. He helped lead the Spartans during a successful 2017-18 run, ending with a record of 29-8 overall, winning the ICCAC Region Tournament, and finishing third in the nation at the NJCAA DII National Championship in Danville, IL. Jenkins was crucial in helping win 44 games in two years, coaching one NJCAA-II All-American, two first-team ICCAC All-Region selections, three ICCAC All-Tournament team members, and sending nine players on to four-year universities. Prior to Southwestern, Jenkins and his father established Peoria Quest Charter Academy's basketball program when the high school was built in 2012. During their three varsity seasons with the Jenkins' coaching duo at the helm, the Gators accumulated a record of 61-30, two regional championships, two Sweet 16 finishes, ranked first in the state in 2017 in IHSA Class 1A for more than six weeks, and finished the 2017 year ranked fourth in the state.

Fernandez is in his first season as Head Coach of the MDC Basketball program. He is highly regarded in the coaching industry and was previously named as one of the top D1 assistant coaches in the country while at the respective level. He was named as one of the ACC’s Top 5 Assistant Coaches, Rivals.com Nation’s Top 25 Recruiters, & HoopScoop 51st ranked Assistant Coach in the Country. He spent the past seven seasons as head coach at Doral Academy in Miami, taking a program with little basketball success to a record of 158-40 in seven seasons, including their first state championship in 2018 as well as a streak of 48 consecutive wins.