Adam Jacobsen wasn’t about to leave the University of Pacific for any ordinary job. Perhaps that makes the University of Hawai’i extraordinary.
After 19 seasons at UOP (five as a player; 14 as an assistant/associate coach), Jacobsen left Stockton, Calif., to become an assistant coach under new Hawai’i head coach Eran Ganot. Jacobsen has been on the job for less than a month, but he already realizes it was an opportunity he could not refuse.
“I wouldn’t have left Pacific for just any place, but I wanted to leave for a special place with someone that I knew very well and trusted in,” Jacobsen said. “I feel with Coach Ganot and the University of Hawai’i that this was a great move for my career and also for my family.”
Jacobsen only had about a week to acclimate with the returning players. Final examinations were completed last week, and most of the players returned to their respective hometowns this week.
“Having had a chance to work with them for a week, I’m very optimistic that I can be of help and that our program is going to be good,” he said. “We obviously want to add the right pieces to where we have really good depth at every position.”
One of Jacobsen’s many tasks will be to help add more pieces. He was the recruiting coordinator at UOP, and is confident that he can find the right fits for the Hawai’i roster.
“I grew up in California and have been in California for a long time; I have recruited internationally as well, so I have a pretty broad spectrum that way, and even across the country through junior college and high school,” he said. “I’ve been in this business for 14 years at the Division I level of it, so I do have a lot of experience of recruiting different student-athletes.”
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Until this week, Jacobsen was the only assistant coach officially on staff under Ganot. Norm Parrish started as an assistant coach this week, and one more assistant spot remains to be filled.
Ganot (Saint Mary’s) and Jacobsen (UOP) were both associate coaches in the West Coast Conference last season, so they were already familiar with each other’s style through scouting reports and recruiting battles.
Jacobsen said: “Having a chance to compete against each other in the league the last few years, but even before that being out on the recruiting trail together and in our conversations of talking and getting to know each other … the biggest thing is just sharing similar values of how you want to run a program, what kind of players that you believe in, and so I really believe strongly in him and real excited about working with him every day.”
Jacobsen also made previous trips to Hawai’i while he was coaching at UOP, so he is somewhat familiar with the Stan Sheriff Center, the solid fan base in Hawai’i … and the natural beauty of the island.
“I love going in the ocean, and bodysurfing and surfing, so I look forward to doing that during my down time,” he said.