As basketball season approaches, we at FTRS will be breaking down the team player by player. Today, we take a look at Nick Jacobs.
Recruitment
Nick Jacobs came out of South Atlanta High School as a pretty highly touted four-star prospect. Rivals had him rated as the 10th-best forward prospect in the entire country. In his senior season, he averaged over a double-double per game at 23 points and 13 rebounds per game en route to solidifying his title as 3A Player of the Year and leading his team to the 3A State Title under legendary high school coach Michael Reddick.
In October 2010, Jacobs committed to Alabama over other reported offers from Clemson and UGA.
History
As a freshman for the Crimson Tide, Jacobs was pretty solid. He played in 32 games with 15 of those being starts. His real dominance showed toward the end of the season. In the last seven games of the season, Jacobs attempted 34 shots. He made 22 of them (64.7 percent). He also scored and had a rebound in every one of his SEC appearances. In the SEC tournament, Jacobs averaged 8.0 points per game. He finished the season averaging 6.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor.
In his sophomore season with the Tide, Jacobs played in a more involved role as the team's sixth man in his 36 appearances (4 starts). Of the regular starters for the Tide that season, Jacobs led the team in shooting percentage with 53.9 percent from the floor. He finished the season averaging 7.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game (fifth and third on the team, respectively).
Hoping to improve in his third season in Alabama, things started to go downhill for Jacobs. He played in 25 games and made just 10 starts before taking a leave of absence from the team, and then ultimately leaving the team. Here's a quote from Alabama head coach Anthony Grant about the leave of absence:
"Nick and I met early this week regarding a pattern of behavior and inconsistencies with his responsibilities as a student-athlete," Alabama head coach Anthony Grant said in the release. "When addressed with these off-the-court issues, he requested a leave of absence, which I granted. He and I both feel it is in his best interest to step away from the team for the immediate future. We will continue to provide Nick the support and assistance he needs to reassess his priorities and focus on his well-being."
In his short time that season, Jacobs shot 52 percent from the floor and averaged 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. After the season ended, Jacobs announced his intentions to transfer and joined Demarco Cox and Josh Heath in transferring to Georgia Tech, though Jacobs had to sit out last year in accordance with NCAA policy.
This Season
A couple of things tell me that Jacobs is going to be alright. First, he was able to get into Georgia Tech. It's not easy at all to transfer to Georgia Tech. He's also been able to maintain eligibility through his year of sitting out. He also had a pretty strong showing in Tech's trip to the Bahamas, where he played in two games and averaged 23.5 points and eight rebounds while shooting 70.4 percent from the floor.
I think Jacobs will end up playing a fairly similar role to the one he held at Alabama. He'll likely be the team's sixth man with Tech having other options at forward, though he is certainly in contention for one of those spots. He should be a strong force for the Jackets in the paint wherever he plays.