Ron Jacobs

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Ron Jacobs (born December 27, 1942 in Marion, North Carolina, United States) was head coach of the men's basketball team at the Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. After turning the program around in just a season from a lowly 5-21 pushover to a legitimate contender, Jacobs was invited to coach the Philippine team by then Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr..

Jacobs brought the Philippines back to prominence in basketball during the 80's and is the last head coach of the Philippine National Basketball team to have a winning record against the Chinese National Basketball team.

As a basketball coach, Jacobs revolutionized the way basketball was played in the Philippines. He raised the level of technology in playing the game and turned every contest into a learning experience by showing how to win with science, hard work, team play and discipline.

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Loyola Marymount

Ron Jacobs was named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year for piloting the Loyola Marymount's basketball varsity to the NCAA Tournament in 1980. He had turned the program around in just a season from a lowly 5-21 pushover to a legitimate contender.

Jacobs became an overnight hero at the Loyola campus in Los Angeles and there emerged a popular clamor for him to take over as Loyola athletic director.

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Going to the Philippines

As Jacobs reassessed his future upon leaving Loyola Marymount's, an invitation to visit Manila fell on his lap. Ambassador Eduardo (Danding) Cojuangco, then project director for basketball appointed by Ferdinand Marcos, sent an emissary to the US to look for an American coach who could reinvigorate the sport in the Philippines. The emissary was the late Basketball Association of the Philippines secretary-general Honesto Mayoralgo, an Ateneo graduate who tapped his contacts in Jesuit schools to ask around for recommendations. Mayoralgo was pointed at Jacobs' direction.

Jacobs went to the Philippines in 1980 and was hired by Danding Cojuangco to run Philippine basketball. His first job was to improve the quality of basketball in the country.

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Coaching Career in the Philippines

After watching some Philippine Basketball Association games that year, Jacobs came up with the idea of bringing in American collegiate players, have them naturalized as Filipinos, and let these players pass the technology to the Filipino cagers. Eight American players (Steve Schall, Steve Lingerfelter, Bruce Webster, Willie Polk, Eddie Joe Chavez, Jeff Moore, Dennis Still and Michael Antoine) were joined by two Filipino-Americans (Willie Pearson and Ricky Brown) and two local players (both from San Beda - JB Yango and Frankie Lim).

This team was sent to the 1981 William Jones Cup tournament where they beat a solid American team made up of US NCAA Division I collegiate players by more than 20 points in the finals and an average winning margin of more than 30 points against the others.

The team then retained the gold medal in the 1981 SEA Games, and regained the Asian Youth title, defeating China in the final 74-63 with Imelda Marcos in the Araneta Coliseum witnessing the game.

In 1984, the Philippines, under Jacobs, played in the ABC tournament held in Qatar. They won their first three games in the eliminations only to be forfeited because of player ineligibility. In the latter part of 1984, the Philippines won the Asian Interclub title to earn the right to play in the World Interclub Championship to be held in Gerona, Spain. The Philippines lost to the US by a rout in the first game, failing to cope with the solid zone defense employed by the Americans. In the second game, they lost by a solitary point against the Brazilians, 78-77, before defeating Italy to achieve third place in the tournament.

In 1985, an even bigger victory came courtesy of the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. Ranked 4th overall, the SMB team won against the United States in overtime of the final, 108-100.

In January, 1986, the ABC tournament was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the Philippines as favorites to win the championship alongside China. In the semifinals, the RP team beat China, and defeated South Korea in the final.

Then the Edsa Revolution took place in February 1986 that forced the departure of Cojuangco. Jacobs suddenly found himself without a job as the BAP under Puyat regained control of Philippine basketball. Jacobs left for the US but returned in 1994.

In the 1994 Asian Games held in Hiroshima, the RP team ended up 4th place and out of the medal race in the tournament.

In 1998, the BCAP under Chito Narvasa petitioned to the DOLE that Ron Jacobs had no right to coach a PBA team for being a foreigner. The DOLE agreed and Jacobs was "demoted" to consultant position and gave the coaching job to his protege Jong Uichico. A few weeks after, Jacobs was being contemplated upon by then PBA Commissioner Jun Bernardino to handle the 1998 Centennial team that will go for the gold in Thailand. Again, the BCAP stepped in and protested Jacobs' pending appointment. Bernardino backed out and instead appointed Alaska coach Tim Cone to handle the reins. Jacobs' loss proved fatal as Tim Cone fell short.

In 2001, Bernardino formally appointed Jacobs to handle the national team to play in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan. Prior to the tournament, Jacobs suffered a near-fatal stroke. His team ended in 4th place in the Games.

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Coaching tree

Today, several Jacobs disciples are coaching or occupying front office jobs in Philippine basketball.

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Stroke

On December 22, 2001, Jacobs suffered a stroke while driving home to his Pasig apartment. Jacobs is now confined to a wheelchair, unable to speak and walk.

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