Motivated Jinks looks to make ‘her’ statement for Lady Rebels

Steve Guiremand

Tuesday, March 11, 2003 | 10:08 a.m.

If UNLV senior guard Constance Jinks needed extra motivation for this week's Mountain West Conference Tournament, she got it Monday morning courtesy of the league's coaches.

Jinks, a three-time all-MWC pick, led the conference in scoring with a 20.7 average and twice scored a MWC single-game best 40 points. She was expected to battle BYU senior guard Erin Thorn for conference player of the year honors.

And the winner is ... freshman forward Kim Smith of conference champion Utah?

"I thought I had a good shot at it, either me or Erin," Jinks said after practice Monday afternoon at the Thomas & Mack Center. "But unfortunately we both were counted out.

"It's just shocking. You've been here for four years and then a freshman just comes in and wins it."

Jinks, a nine-time MWC player of the week pick during her career, finished well ahead of Smith (17.0 ppg) in the conference scoring race. But Smith, a member of the 2002 Canadian National Team, outscored Jinks 36-24 in two Utes wins over the Lady Rebels.

"Actually, I don't even know who she is," Jinks said. "We played Utah but I don't remember her standing out. It's just questionable about what it was based on."

"I think we were all a bit surprised," UNLV coach Regina Miller said. "I thought it might go to a senior, or seniors -- Erin or Constance.

"Kim Smith has been a nice addition to our conference. But when I think of player of the year, I think 'player' and not 'team.' "

Jinks and Thorn, who finished second in the Mountain West in scoring with an 18.4 average, will be going head-to-head in Wednesday afternoon's quarterfinal matchup between the Lady Rebels (17-10, 8-6) and BYU (17-10, 8-6).

"I will be guarding Erin," Jinks said. "She's guarded me in the past. It's going to be a challenge. I'm going to go at her and she's probably going to go at me."

"I expect Constance to be quite motivated and to have a good tournament," Miller said.

The Lady Rebels have had a season that mirrors the UNLV men's squad in many ways.

Jinks is an at-times unstoppable penetrating guard in the Marcus Banks mold. Both teams lost a shocker at Air Force. Both finished 8-6 in conference play. And both know they probably have to get at least to the tournament final to have a serious chance at an NCAA tournament at-large bid.

Both also play the team that defeated them in last year's tourney final in the first round.

"We lost some games we probably shouldn't have lost," Jinks said. "Now it comes down to this, which we didn't want it to. We have to win the tournament to get into the NCAA. But that just fires us up even more."

"I'm proud of this team," Miller said. "They could have very easily gone into the tank several times this season. But this team is gutsy and has a desire to win. We probably play the best defense of any team I've coached since I've been here."

And Miller is banking on that defense to carry the Lady Rebels this week.

"Defense and rebounding are the keys," she said. "That triggers our offense. If we end up playing half-court basketball, that's just not who we are. We're more an open court team. We have to play at an up tempo and make them run."

Although disappointed she didn't win the player of the year award, Jinks, the fourth-leading scorer in MWC history with 1,791 points, said the snub will be a lot easier to accept if the Lady Rebels can win the tournament.

"That's my big concern now," Jinks said. "If we win this tournament, that other stuff won't matter at the end."