South Dakota State transfer David Jenkins, who had Gonzaga as finalist, picks UNLV

South Dakota State transfer David Jenkins Jr., who had Gonzaga in his final three, is headed to UNLV to be reunited with former Jackrabbits coach T.J. Otzelberger.

Jenkins made his announcement Saturday in a 1-minute video on his Twitter account. He visited Gonzaga and Oregon, but UNLV was considered the front-runner after Jenkins visited Las Vegas last weekend. The Rebels hired Otzelberger as head coach in March.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Jenkins averaged 19.7 points as a sophomore. He put up 16.1 points per game as a freshman. He’s a career 42% 3-point shooter while averaging 3.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Jenkins has two seasons of eligibility, but he’s expected to sit out next season under NCAA transfer rules. The Tacoma native was rated No. 2 among sit-out transfers by ESPN.

The Zags are in the mix for USC graduate transfer point guard Derryck Thornton, who will visit GU from May 28-30. Others interested in Thornton include Boston College, St. John’s, Auburn and Texas Tech.