By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JAN. 23, 2014 – Alisia Jenkins is the USF women's basketball team's version of the Energizer Bunny.

Whether it's diving for a loose ball, pumping up her teammates or crashing the boards with no fear the sophomore forward just keeps going, and going, and going, and lots of production has followed this season.

Jenkins is averaging a double-double in American Athletic Conference play with 10.1 points and 10.1 rebounds heading into the Bulls' next test at top-ranked UConn on Sunday. USF (10-8, 5-2) has won five of its past six games with Jenkins posting a double-double in three of them.

“She's got an incredible work ethic and I think she's matured a lot from her freshman year to her sophomore year,” head coach Jose Fernandez said. “The big thing with her is she makes effort plays and she goes after things.”

Jenkins developed her special characteristics while growing up in Statesboro, Ga., a small city in the countryside located 55 miles northwest of Savannah. Dirt roads and the backwoods were Jenkins' playground growing up and she never shied away from having good, old-fashioned fun.

“I was out the door 24-7 running, playing tag with boys and active all day long,” Jenkins said. “I've always had a lot of energy since I was young and I'm just a playful type of person.”

Jenkins' vibrant personality hasn't changed a bit since she moved to the big city of Tampa and her teammates will definitely back that up.

“She's always in that mood to be energetic,” sophomore guard Shavontae Naylor said.

Naylor probably knows Jenkins the most of any Bull since the two are roommates and Naylor said you have to be ready for entertaining outbursts at any time from No. 24.

“We could be walking and she'll remember something funny from a video she watched and just bust out with it out of nowhere,” Naylor said with a laugh.

Naylor also gets to experience another special skill Jenkins developed while participating in the church choir since she was a little kid.

“She sings all the time. I could be listening to a song, and if she knows it she's going to sing it. I ask her, “Who sings this song? Let them sing it,'” Naylor joked. “Seriously though, she has one of those powerful, inspirational and touching voices.”

Jenkins said she'll sing when listening to “little tunes” in her room or anywhere on campus, but she's all business once the whistle sounds for practice or game time.

“All she wants to do is help us succeed, so I think that's where she gets the energy to fuel the fire,” Naylor said. “I feed off her energy coming off the bench. I have to go in there and be twice as energized if I want to produce like her. She always makes me want to do more.”

Fernandez has been very pleased with Jenkins' high-energy approach towards success, saying she's “a pleasure to coach,” and Jenkins plans on keeping her coach impressed. The 2013 Big East All-Freshman Team selection is just shy of averaging a double-double for the season at 9.9 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, and she's been made a point of becoming more of a weapon on the offensive end as a sophomore.

“I'm not a freshman anymore because I've played and started,” Jenkins said. “I need to step up the plate and saw we needed another attacker. I've worked hard on my shot, driving and ball handling over the summer and I don't want all that going to waste.”

Catch Jenkins and the Bulls in action when they return to the Sun Dome to host Houston on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7 p.m. Purchase tickets HERE.