Hey, AP, it's JERICKA Jenkins!

Jericka Jenkins

Kudos to the Associated Press for recognizing Hampton guard Jericka Jenkins as an honorable mention All-American. Problem was, she's referred to as Jessica Jenkins. Because of AP's massive distribution, the error is being duplicated on webpages throughout the internet - including on JMU's official site. Unless it's corrected - and we've contacted the AP about it - it will also be in newspapers across the country tomorrow.

It's not the first time the Lady Pirates star has had her name mangled. Last month, in an otherwise fine story about Jenkins' successful battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, the writer left the "k" out of her first name.

Look, mistakes happen. But the AP's gaffe is particularly unfortunate because Hampton doesn't have All-Americans every day. In fact, Jenkins is the first Lady Pirate to earn AP All-America recognition in the school's Division I era (since 1995). The only other Hampton player to receive Division I All-America honors of any kind was Lashondra Dixon, who was a first-team All-American by the Black College Sports Information Directors of America in 2002. The former Lady Pirates star, now known as Lashondra Dixon-Gordon, is currently an assistant coach at Norfolk State.

In short, this is a really big deal for Hampton. The least the AP can do is get the name right.

Joining Jenkins as AP honorable mention All-Americans were four-fifths of the All-CAA team - JMU's Dawn Evans, Hofstra's Shante Evans, VCU's Courtney Hurt and Delaware's Elena Delle Donne. Georgetown's Sugar Rodgers, who starred at King's Fork High in Suffolk, also made the list.