Daniel Jacobsen doesn’t mind owning that, on the national recruiting radar, he’d fall into the category of a late bloomer.
Still, the production that it takes to be a mainstay on the minds of high major college basketball coaches, well, he’s always been confident in his abilities in that regard.
“I picked up a lot of offers late,” Jacobsen said. “I’ve always felt like my time would come, so I just focused on getting better every weekend we played during the summer. It all came together in the end.”
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After pumping in 10 points a game during the Nike EYBL regular season running with JL3 Elite, Jacobsen upped his production to 12 points and nine rebounds a game at the prestigious Nike Peach Jam to cap off the summer and rake in the offers.
Prior to Peach Jam, Jacobsen only held offers from Tulsa and New Mexico State, but after showcasing the full arsenal in North Augusta he’s become a Mr. Popularity of sorts among college coaches.
“It’s been fun just getting to know the coaches and having those talks,” Jacobsen said. “It’s still new for me, so I’m liking it.”
Jacobsen has had quite the revolving door of college coaches this week.
Matt Painter came to Brewster Academy’s (Wolfeboro, N.H.) open gym to see him and UCLA began preliminary talks with the 7-foot-2 senior center after watching him compete.
Jacobsen recently took an official to Minnesota, he’ll visit Purdue on Sept. 29 and he’s in the process of setting up dates for officials to Creighton and Wisconsin.
“And potentially a few more,” Jacobsen said. “I’m open to anyone at this point; like I said I was a little late to the party with recruiting, so I’m staying open for now.”
Expect Jacobsen’s stock to continue to rise this season playing in the NIBC with the Bobcats, where he’ll face league and national powerhouses like IMG Academy, Montverde Academy, Long Island Lutheran, AZ Compass Prep and more.
Jacobsen’s capabilities as a legitimate inside presence on both ends of the floor with the ability to efficiently stretch the defense will no doubt create tough matchups and in turn earn him even more offers from colleges.
“I’d say I try to be like a cross between UConn's Donovan Clingan and Duke's Kyle Filipowski in college,” Jacobsen said. “In the NBA, I’d say Utah Jazz's Lauri Markkanen. I’m just always looking for ways to impact the game. I want to be at a school that runs their offense through their bigs a lot, because I want to get a lot of touches. I like to do it all; pass, facilitate, score… Just whatever is needed to get the win.”
