It's the highest compliment a player can hope to get from his coach.

And Justin Jennings has certainly earned it.

"He's been the heart and soul of the team the last four years," said Penn State-Behrend men's basketball coach Dave Niland of Jennings, a Seneca Valley graduate and senior point guard for the Lions.

"He keeps himself in tremendous shape and, because of that great work ethic, has improved every year," he added.

Jennings currently leads the team in minutes played per game (31.8) and is tied for second on the team with 28 assists, as Behrend has opened the year with a 9-2 record (3-1 in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference).

Entering Saturday's conference battle against Pitt-Bradford, Jennings points-per-game average stood at 4.3.

"Justin can score if we need him to," said Niland. "He's hit a lot of big shots for us over the years. He's taken himself from being a good high school shooter to a good college shooter, and there's a difference.

"We run an equal opportunity system on offense, meaning everybody touches the ball," Niland added. "And Justin is our quarterback. He's such an unselfish player."

The Lions have had solid front-court players during Jennings' time with the team, including this season with center Kevin Buczynski (19.7 points-per-game) and forward Dave Gahan (14.5).

"I've been fortunate enough to have played with some great inside players here," said Jennings, a co-captain this season. "My job is to get the ball to them and I love that role."

A starter since the beginning of his sophomore season (2003-04), Jennings has started 54 consecutive games for Behrend. In that span, the team has compiled an overall record of 52-14.

"To be a point guard at this level, you need to be a great leader and you have to be able to take a lot of slack," said Jennings. "If something goes wrong out there on the court, the coach is coming to you.

"I think I've improved a lot since my first year here," Jennings said. "As a point guard, I've learned to take care of the ball and how to communicate better with my teammates and the coach."

His freshman season began with Jennings playing just four to five minutes per game. But it ended with him seeing an average of 20 minutes on the floor per contest.

For his efforts, Jennings was chosen as the Lions' Rookie of the Year, as the team won the AMCC regular season title.

Behrend duplicated that feat in Jennings' sophomore campaign and he won the team's Most Improved Player Award.

Last season saw the Lions win the conference tournament championship.

The Lions have also been rewarded with berths in the NCAA Division III playoffs the last two years.

Jennings and his teammates hope to get back to the national tournament once again.

"Our goal is to win another AMCC title and get back to the NCAA playoffs," Jennings said. "When I was in high school, we didn't win that much. So, I've been on the other side and it's not a good feeling.

"It's great to be on a winning team."