Neumann Goretti’s Larenzo Jerkins had to sit out last season. Now he wants to make a difference.

Larenzo Jerkins is out in his sweats running line drills by himself before his Neumann Goretti teammates arrive at practice. It’s the 6-foot-6 senior forward’s way of not cheating himself of any more precious time.

He knows what it is like to watch after being forced to sit out last season after transferring in from Chester. He knows what is like sitting there helpless as his teammates struggled down the stretch in the Catholic League championship last spring in the boiling Palestra.

This season, Jerkins challenged himself that he would make a difference. He would make up for the time lost.

“I have to get to the gym early, start the mood off being the up one, the leader of the team,” Jerkins said Sunday after the Saints’ 75-73 overtime win against Salesianum (Del.) in the Kobe Bryant Classic at Widener University. “If I do a lot of things, people will follow. That will boost our drilling. I do take pride in doing the dirty work. I’m far from satisfied. I’m building on everything I need. I know that I’m far from the player I want to be and the player I can be for this team to win.”

Jerkins had a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds on Sunday. But he’s not a scorebook player. He’s a bottom-line “we won” guy and embraces that role.

His game is muck and grind: rebounding, playing interior defense, setting picks, blocking shots, hitting the offensive boards, taking charges, and diving for any loose ball he sees.

Against Salesianum, for example, with the Saints down by five in overtime, it was Jerkins who came swooping in to collect a rebound, take the ball down, and whirl around a defender for a layup that gave the Saints a chance.

“Last year was hard.” Jerkins said. “There were a few nights I cried myself to sleep. Basketball is my therapy. When you’re not out there supporting your teammates, it haunts you. Every day when I step out on the floor, I think about those times. I have to elevate.”

West Chester is high on Jerkins’ list of college destinations. Jerkins likes West Chester, which is coached by Damien Blair. West Chester likes him.

“I feel real good about West Chester. I have the paperwork, and I’m thinking very strongly about signing it,” Jerkins said. “It feels good knowing I have an option to go somewhere, because a couple of months ago, I had no options.

“I’ve been gifted to be playing basketball again. I’m going to be the second person from my family to go to college. Going to college is a big deal for me, and for free at that.”

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Last year was as trying for the Saints’ legendary coach Carl Arrigale as it was for Jerkins.

“Larenzo is an awesome person, and last year was really hard for all of us,” Arrigale said. “What happened to Larenzo last year was one of the most difficult things I ever had to go through as a coach. The kid has a lot of reasons to be angry at the world — and he isn’t. He’s strong. He’s special.

“When that decision went down last year, when I knew in my heart we didn’t do anything wrong, just to see him cry in my arms the night it happened, that was tough to take. We’re still learning him. He’s still learning about us — I couldn’t be happier for Larenzo.”

This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.