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Cardinal Win After a stellar freshman campaign, Jacobsen looks to take his game to the next level
We couldn't wait until Midnight Madness to catch up with college basketball's premier players, so we decided to track them down during summer break. Check back here each week to find out whether your favorite hoopster has been bulking up, barbecuing or perfecting his turnaround J. By Carl Bialik,
CNNSI.com
After facing such stiff competition last summer, Jacobsen handled the Pac-10 with apparent ease in his rookie season. The McDonald's All-America's biggest challenge was off the court -- he had to adjust to what was, initially, a limited role, while gaining the respect of his older teammates. "It was hard to come in and not step on any toes," Jacobsen says. "I didn't want my teammates to think I was an arrogant jerk." All the same, after coming off the bench for the Cardinal's first 13 games, he wanted to start. Soon after showcasing his scoring ability by pouring in 26 points in 21 minutes against New Hampshire on Dec. 29, Jacobsen got the nod. He went on to average 15.7 points per game, shoot 48% from three-point range in conference play and lead 27-4 Stanford in scoring. He was voted Pac-10 co-freshman of the year and first-team All Pac-10, and was named freshman player of the year by The Sporting News. In late June, he went to Chicago to receive his most recent honor: Playboy preseason All-America.
In early July, he was one of 16 college counselors at the Nike All-America camp in Indianapolis. In his two weeks at home in July, he played in the Say No Classic college league in West Los Angeles with UCLA and USC players and worked at the basketball camp of Washington Wizards forward Tracy Murray, another Glendora High alum. On Aug. 27, Jacobsen will leave for Hawaii to begin training for a Sept. 2 pre-Olympic warmup pitting the Dream Team against a college select squad, which will also feature Notre Dame's Troy Murphy and Duke's Shane Battier. And despite his success against Jordan, Jacobsen is modest enough to realize the college players have no chance of winning. He is also aware that he has more work to do on his game. Jacobsen's offense has become more versatile since his freshman year in high school, when his father, Von, a former prep and college star in San Diego, urged him to develop an inside game to complement his three-point shooting. However, Jacobsen has neglected what comes in between. "It's no secret that I need to work on my medium-range game," he says. "I either shoot it from 25 feet out or take it all the way and score it." He is also looking to gain weight and work on his rebounding -- at 6'6", 210 pounds last season, Jacobsen pulled down only three boards per game. He did pass up on one basketball opportunity this summer: trying out for the USA Basketball 20-and-under team that took silver at the world championship qualifying tournament in Brazil in July. He didn't want to miss any of his time at home to attend tryouts. While in the Bay Area, Jacobsen, a communications major, is spending six weeks working at KGO-7, the local ABC affiliate, helping to edit and film sports highlights. "That's the easiest and most fun part of my job," he says. Jacobsen wants to remain in the sports world after his basketball career is over, possibly as a broadcaster. "That would be a dream come true," Jacobsen says. But for now, his priority is his college basketball career. He works at KGO-7 three days a week and on the other days he lifts and works out at Branson High in Ross, Calif. Jacobsen, who had a 3.9 GPA in high school, was a bit overwhelmed by the many demands on him at the beginning of last year. But after cutting back on his courseload and learning to use his time more efficiently, he adjusted, both on and off the court. "Now I'm all ready," he says of the coming school year. "I'll hit the ground running." Note: Jacobsen was chosen for the USA Men's Select team.
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