MHERST - For the most part, Willie Jenkins is overcoming the homesickness that most freshmen far from home are prone to suffer.

His mother, Victoria, calls him just about every day and University of Massachusetts coach Bruiser Flint reminds him a lot of Sylvester Ford, Jenkins' coach at Fairley High School in Memphis.

But there is one thing Jenkins still misses from the hometown he shares with Elvis Presley.

Willie Jenkins

"I can't find catfish," Jenkins said. "I've been asking B.G. (staff assistant Brian Gorman). I know he can't cook, but I'll try it anyway."

While whiskered fish may be hard to find, impressed onlookers have not.

With the glut of recruiting services, especially on the Internet, it's possible to monitor potential Division I basketball prospects when they're as young as 13. By the time players get to their senior year, everybody seems to be a commodity.

But somehow in basketball-mad Memphis, Jenkins managed to stay below quite a few radar screens. People figured he'd be in prep school or junior college because they didn't think he'd get the necessary SAT score to play in college this year.

"People had him ticketed for junior college," said Keith Easterwood, who is a respected recruiting analyst for Mid-SouthHoops.com. "People were surprised when he got the score."

But when he did get the required score, former UMass assistant coach Tony Barbee, who is an assistant at Memphis, gave his old boss a tip.

"I didn't know (anything) about him," said Flint, who trusted Barbee's talent evaluation. "It happens that way sometimes. You get lucky."

Jenkins has yet to play a game, but already it looks like he could be a steal for the Minutemen. In last Friday's exhibition game against the California All-Stars, the 6-foot-5 forward knocked down his first two 3-pointers and finished with 12 points, four rebounds and two assists.

When he came out of the game for the first time, the Mullins Center crowd applauded him warmly.

"People up here are very nice," said Jenkins in a smooth Tennessee drawl. "I was real excited. I was glad they were cheering for me. I was shocked at first because I thought nobody knew who I was."

If they've listened to Flint at all, they knew. The coach has piled praise on his new swingman for his shooting and his work ethic.

"The kid works. Since I've been here, the guys that worked the hardest are Dana Dingle and Lou Roe," Flint said. "In terms of work ethic I'd put Willie in that category. We'll see how it plays out. Right now the kid has been a big surprise."

Jenkins promised the praise won't go to his head.

"To me that means I have to work hard not to disappoint them," he said.

Despite the adulation, Flint has been tough on the rookie, regularly getting on him about his defense, among other things, in practice.

But senior captain Monty Mack told Jenkins not to take it personally.

"Monty told me that if Bru hollered at me, it means he knows I can do it," Jenkins said. "If he (doesn't say anything) to me, then I'll start worrying."

Mack, who plays the same position as Jenkins, has taken him under his wing.

"I'm basically trying to show him the ropes and the little things he should expect in college games and practices. I'm trying to put him on my back and guide him," Mack said. "He's a very good student. He learns well just by watching, just by playing against me every day. It's not like I have to show him."

Practicing every day against Mack has Jenkins confident about what he can do in a game.

"When we go through drills, Monty will tell me to get behind him. When I mess up, he'll pull me to the side before the coaches (do). He tells me where I need to be," Jenkins said. "He's one of the best players in nation. So I feel if I can stop him or score on him, I can score on anybody."

When Jenkins' mother does call, he has good things to report.

"She calls almost every day. I'm her baby boy," he said grinning with embarrassment. "It's been great, nice people. I love it."

Now if he could only find some catfish.