“The one thing that separates this event from any other event in the country on this weekend is the reason for it,” said Jenkins, who grew up in a racially divided Cary, NC, and fought on the front lines of the civil rights and anti-war rallies. “Girls basketball on this weekend at the Reese Center is nothing more than a vehicle to honor Dr. King and to expand and perpetuate the legacy of coach [Perry] Reese.”

The Perry Reese Jr. Community Center this weekend will play host to the sixth installment of the CitC, deemed the top girls’ basketball event in the nation. Thirty-two teams will play 20 games spanning the three-day holiday weekend. Of those 32 teams, two are reigning state champions (Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame, Division I; Berlin Hiland Division IV), and 23 of the 31 in-state teams are legit state heavyweights. The sole out-of-state squad, University (NJ), is a perennial force on the national scene.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed the world. And Jenkins, not yet in junior high, changed right along with it. In junior high, he joined the basketball team, and in the process became pretty good. (“In junior high, I learned how to handle the ball from Curley Neal, of the Globetrotters. And I got to be pretty decent,” he said.)

Jenkins’ high school years were turbulent to say the least: his father left, forcing him to bounce around from place to place.

Then came North Carolina State, Jenkins’ escape - for a year. (“I was very much an activist,” he said.) That caught up to him. (“I sort of threw a chair out the president’s window. That was captured in a photo.”)

He then transferred to Pfeiffer University, a small college in Misenheimer, NC, to finish up his degree and his athletic eligibility. He left with t-shirts and shorts. (“I moved to where the climate suited my clothes -  Florida.”) He coached high school boys’ basketball for a while before deciding to follow through on a dream of his - law school.

It took him two and a half years to graduate from Atlanta Law School. He practiced law for about 10 years, working with well known civil rights leaders such as Rev. Joseph Lowery.

It was then time for a change. Jenkins sold his practice and moved to Montego Bay, Jamaica, to open a sports bar. However, it wasn't long before he ran into trouble. (“In Jamaica, if you are a U.S. business, you have to hire 50 percent Jamaican. And Jamaican’s aren't real conscientious about work. [Laughs] So I hired a lot of ex-patriots, and my competition turned me in and I got thrown out of the country.”)

But then basketball bounced back in his life. He came to Cincinnati to help his niece develop her game, and in turn, discovered girls’ basketball for the first time. (“The more I got involved, I really started to see how good the basketball was here in Ohio. I also saw that there are a bunch of kids that weren't getting recruited here, that could really play,” he said.)

Soon after, Ohio Girls Basketball Report (OGBR) was born. The scouting report began with 43 subscribers 10 years ago and has since grown to 202 colleges from across the country.

JS: Prior to Classic in the County, you developed an event similar to this at Pickerington Central High. But then you cut ties. Why?

TJ: It was called the Fairfield Federal Prep Shoot-Out in Pickerington... We ran it over Dr. King weekend. Having been a civil rights activist, and that being a special weekend, I felt that if we're going to profit over that weekend, we needed to make some sort of social contribution. It didn't need to be anything big. But it needed to be something that paralleled Dr. King’s vision, and make a contribution to that.

After the first year, I proposed this to the organizers and they didn't feel the need was there to do that. So after the second year, I proposed the same thing again. And they said, once again, they didn't feel the need to do that. After the third year, I proposed it again, and they said they didn't feel the need, I said, ‘Fine. Ya'll do what ya'll want to do. But this is what I'm going to do.’

By that time, coach [Dave] Schlabach (of Berlin Hiland), coach [Paul] Wackerly (of North Canton Hoover), and myself had all met at my house in Cincinnati (in Aug. 2001). At that time, coach [Perry] Reese had passed, and his foundation had been set-up. We just felt that this was a perfect fit to hold this event in Berlin, and to have this benefit the Perry Reese Foundation.

JS: When you made the transition from Pickerington to Berlin - a large suburb to a relative blip on the map - did you have any reservations?

TJ: None what so ever. It’s a basketball crazed community. It’s a community that will go to work to expand and perpetuate the legacy of coach Reese, because he meant so much to them. There was never a single reservation. I knew right from the first meeting that Dave and I had that this was going to work, because this was something magical.

JS: Classic in the Country has become quite successful to say the least, deemed as the top girls’ hoops event in the country. What’s the formula for that success?

TJ: Hard work and no brains. [Laughs] You have two folks, who at the core, are used to building something from the bottom up. Then on top of that, you take the community love of coach Reese and girls’ basketball. And then you put that together and get the tremendous support of the entire community, both as individuals and as businesses.

JS: Talk about you relationship with Dave Schlabach, and how you both worked together to bring this massive project into reality?

TJ: Dave is a very special man in his own right... I don't think there is anybody in this state, from a coaching standpoint, that works harder than Dave Schlabach. I don't think there is anybody that works harder at life than Dave does. He is tireless, and the folks he has working with him (Rob Moser, Dave Borter), their efforts are tireless as well.

Dave and I knew from the get-go that this would work because he recognized we both would carry our respective weight. It’s a very unique relationship. It’s a special bond that Dave and I have through this event. If a baby can be born between two men, then here it is.

JS: It takes up to two years to land a spot on the schedule. What goes into the planning and scheduling of CitC?

TJ: We just finished up the third revision of the schedule for 2010. And in putting that schedule together we look at several things: state-ranked teams; teams with a major Division I prospect; teams with multiple Division I prospects. And then we look at regional teams that hit two or three criteria:

Division I or multi-Division I prospects; fan base where they will bring at least 200 people to the event; can they compete on a state-wide basis. With the regional teams, the answer has to be yes to  two of those three questions.

JS: Dave Schlabach often said, “If it’s not broke, don't fix it.” But on the other hand, you need to keep things fresh. What’s in store for Classic in the Country?

TJ: Every year we look at adding something new. Whether it’s through the exposure of the event or through the experience that people have here. One of the things this year is that we expanded with SportsTime Ohio, where they will televise a few games. One of the goals that Dave and I have is for a game in this event to be the first live high school girls basketball game televised on ESPN.

JS: How do you feel Classic in the Country has been received in the sheltered, largely Amish-Mennonite community of Berlin?

TJ:  I think that it not only brings people into eastern Holmes County where they can experience the principles and values of this Amish community, but it also gives those residents and young people who reside in this Amish community a chance to expand their cultural horizons by the diverse teams that we bring in. There is a recognition that while we are different, there is a certain degree of sameness. And for sure there is a common denominator of three things: great athletics; great food; good music. And those three things, in my experience, bind us together as one.